Frisian gingerbread nuts in danger due to stricter EU rules

Several bakery companies in Friesland have stopped producing and selling Frisian gingerbread, gingerbread made from gingerbread dough. This is due to stricter regulations from the European Commission. It has everything to do with a substance that is released when baking the gingerbread nuts: acrylamide. Research has shown that a high intake of the substance can be harmful to health.

Gingerbread producer Modderman BV in Rotsterhaule has stopped the production of Frisian gingerbread nuts as a precaution. According to Omrop Fryslân the company is the only major producer of Frisian gingerbread nuts, which means that the delicacy is almost no longer available in stores.

Nadine Modderman of Modderman BV tells the regional broadcaster that concerns about acrylamide have been around for some time. For example, the NVWA visited bakeries in 2021 and tested various types of products for acrylamide. This showed that the amount of acrylamide was within the standard for most bakery products, except for gingerbread. In 41% of the gingerbread nuts tested, the content was already too high.

Now that the rules have been tightened, the maximum limits have also been reduced. “And the NVWA also enforces this,” says Modderman. “They come to us every year to take samples.” It is not known whether the spice and ginger nuts have already been tested by the watchdog this year.

Producers must take measures for products where too much acrylamide is found. For example, they can adjust the recipe. Modderman is now looking at how to proceed with the Frisian gingerbread.

Nadine Modderman explains that the production of the product is quite expensive and labor intensive. Adjustments are therefore difficult and expensive for the company. Moreover, it is a regional product. “It’s very alive here, but not down below the rivers,” she says. “And we have to rely on mass production. It also has to be available in the store at a reasonable price.”

According to Modderman, the company wants to preserve the characteristics of the original Frisian gingerbread as much as possible. “We first have to test the recipe and the oven settings. The Sinterklaas season is now over for us, but we hope to take steps to make Frisian gingerbread again next year.”

According to Omrop Fryslân, smaller bakery companies also have to deal with the stricter rules. Baker Van den Berg in Burgum, which has ten points of sale in the northeast of the province, has therefore stopped baking and selling Frisian gingerbread nuts.

It is still uncertain whether the company will have gingerbread nuts again in its range next year. “We have to look again at whether things can be done differently. We hope so, of course. But the question remains when.”

There are also bakers who still have them, for example the Baarsma bakery in Boornbergum. “But mine are different,” says the owner. “They are also much lighter in color. Acrylamide comes into play especially with the dark, brown ones.” Although he does say that he is not sure whether there is too much acrylamide in his gingerbread nuts. “That could be possible, I don’t know. I’ve never had them examined.”