For a street festival, start by choosing bread explicitly labelled wholemeal, then check that sourdough or starter appears in the ingredients: sourdough alone does not tell you whether it is wholemeal. Sliced or small loaves can make serving easier, but match the quantity to the number of portions you expect to hand out. Check the allergen information for both packaged and unpackaged bread before buying it for your guests.
A dark colour or rustic name isn’t enough. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, a product can only be called wholemeal if all its cereal ingredients are made from wholemeal flour. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says sourdough bread can be made from different types of grain, so check both descriptions separately.
If you’re handing out bread at a festival, weigh up whether to buy sliced or small loaves, or slice them on site. Also plan for any leftovers: the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping opened wholemeal sourdough bread in a kitchen cupboard for 2–4 days or in the freezer for 1–3 months.
For guests with a food allergy, the information about the bread you choose is essential. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergens must be listed on the label of pre-packed food, while information about allergens in unpackaged food must be communicated to consumers in another way.
Assess wholemeal and sourdough as two separate features. Then choose a loaf shape that suits the way you’ll be serving it, and check the allergen information for the guests you plan to serve.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Verifiably wholemeal | Look for the word ‘wholemeal’ and check which types of flour are listed in the ingredients. | If I want to serve wholemeal bread, I don’t want to rely on its dark colour or rustic name. For around 40% of consumers, being able to verify that it’s wholemeal is the top priority. |
| Portions and leftovers | Compare whole, sliced and small loaves with the number of portions you expect to serve, and plan what to do with any unused bread. | When attendance is unpredictable, I want to hand out bread quickly without having too much left over. Suitable portion sizes are the main concern for around 30% of consumers. |
| Allergens | Check the label on packaged bread. For unpackaged bread, ask about allergen information before buying. | If I’m buying for guests with food allergies, I need to know what the bread contains before serving it. Around 20% of consumers put this check first. |
| Sourdough recipe | As well as checking for a wholemeal description, look for sourdough or starter in the product or ingredient information. | If you’re specifically looking for bread made with sourdough, don’t rely solely on terms such as ‘rustic’ or ‘artisan’. For around 10% of consumers, sourdough is the top priority. |
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says sourdough bread can be made from different types of grain. So a sourdough description doesn’t confirm that the cereal ingredients are wholemeal.
First look for ‘wholemeal’ in the product description, then check the ingredients for sourdough or starter.
A sourdough description tells you nothing about allergens. Bread made with gluten-containing grains is not gluten-free, and you still need allergen information for unpackaged bread.
Check the label or ask the seller about allergens before buying. If you need a gluten-free option, check it separately and avoid contact with standard bread when serving.
When attendance is uncertain, it can be difficult to estimate how much bread you’ll need. For opened wholemeal sourdough bread, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping it in a kitchen cupboard for 2–4 days or in the freezer for 1–3 months.
Plan how you’ll serve the bread in portions, and freeze any unused bread promptly if you’re not going to use it soon.
Albert Heijn lists AH Liefde & Passie Nederlands desem volkoren, including a sliced version. This makes the sliced format a useful option to compare if you’ll be serving it straight away.
Jumbo’s wholemeal range includes loaves and rolls. Different bread shapes are worth considering if you still need to decide on portion sizes for the festival.
Lidl lists a Rustiek volkoren desembrood and describes it as wholemeal wheat sourdough bread.
ALDI lists Bakkersgoud Rustiek extra volkoren. It’s a wholemeal option to consider if sourdough isn’t essential.
PLUS lists Korenlanders Kleintje desembrood volkoren maanzaad. The smaller loaf may be useful if you want to plan for smaller portions.
Dirk lists both wholemeal bread and sourdough in its bread category, with different loaf shapes to choose from.
No. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says sourdough bread can be made from different types of grain. Look separately for the word ‘wholemeal’ and check the ingredients. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that all the cereal ingredients in a wholemeal product must be made from wholemeal flour.
Ask the seller about allergen information before buying. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that consumers must be given this information for unpackaged food in a way other than on a label. For pre-packed bread, it appears on the label.
No, not if it contains gluten-containing grains. For guests who need to avoid gluten, check the gluten-free description and allergen information for an individual product, and avoid contact with standard bread when serving.
Freeze any bread you won’t use soon as soon as you can. For opened wholemeal sourdough bread, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping it in a kitchen cupboard for 2–4 days or in the freezer for 1–3 months. So before the festival, plan how much you’ll serve and how much may be left over.
No. The name ‘wholemeal sourdough bread’ doesn’t tell you which salt was used in that particular loaf. If baker’s salt or iodine is relevant to your choice, check the ingredients information for the bread.
