Dutch lunch culture at work and school: the boterham

A typical Dutch lunch is a boterham: a sandwich of bread with cheese, or with another cold topping. The bread usually comes from home and fits in a lunchbox. This guide explains what this lunch looks like at work and at school, and which rules sit behind the lunchpauze (lunch break).

The lunch itself is a custom, not a law. Since July 2025, the KNM exam asks what is usual and what the rules are, not what you personally would do. See the KNM overview for the format.

A boterham lunch at work

Many people in the Netherlands bring their own lunch and eat it in the kantine (canteen) or at their desk. Common choices are bread with cheese, ham or peanut butter, a piece of fruit and a glass of milk.

Some workplaces also sell soup, a broodje kroket or a salad in the canteen. Others only have a fridge and a coffee machine. Customs differ per company, so watch what your colleagues do.

Many households eat their hot meal in the evening. That is one reason a cold lunch is normal, and nobody will find your sandwich strange. For more on the workplace, see our guides to Dutch work culture and small talk at work.

The lunch break: what the law says

The Arbeidstijdenwet (Working Hours Act) sets the minimum break, according to the Rijksoverheid:

• If you work more than 5.5 hours, you have the right to a break of at least 30 minutes.
• You may split this break into two breaks of 15 minutes.
• If you work more than 10 hours, the break is 45 minutes.
• A cao (collective labour agreement), or a rule agreed with the ondernemingsraad (works council), may differ. You still get at least one 15-minute break after 5.5 hours of work.

A workday may not start or end with a break. The law does not say if the break is paid. During the break you do not work, so you normally get no pay for it, unless your contract or cao says otherwise. Read our guide to the cao to see where such rules come from.

Lunch for the whole team

Many Dutch colleagues eat together, and lunch is a good moment to practise your Dutch. Some teams go for a short lunchwandeling (lunch walk).

You are free to join. If you prefer to eat alone or finish a task, that is fine too. Choose what suits you and your workplace.

Dutch school lunch

Most children in the Netherlands take their own lunch to school in a broodtrommel (lunchbox). It often holds sandwiches, cut fruit or vegetables and something to drink. Popular toppings are kaas (cheese), pindakaas (peanut butter), and hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles). Many children eat them on bread for breakfast and lunch.

How the lunch break works depends on the school:

• Continurooster. Pupils stay at school and usually eat lunch in their classroom. The school supervises the break.
• Tussenschoolse opvang (TSO). The school organises supervision for children who stay over at lunch, if parents ask for it. This is also called overblijven. Parents usually pay a contribution.
• Lunch at home. Some children go home for lunch, especially when the school is close.

Check your child's schoolgids (school guide) or ask the school. For choosing a school, read our guide to picking a basisschool.

Healthy lunch at school

The Voedingscentrum (Nutrition Centre) advises wholegrain or brown bread, fruit and vegetables, and water. For secondary schools and MBO with a canteen, it runs the Gezonde Schoolkantine (healthy school canteen) programme.

Every school sets its own food rules. Some schools have a fruit-only morning break, and some ask parents not to send sweets or juice. These are school rules, not national law. If you are unsure, ask the teacher.

What to remember

• A cold sandwich lunch is normal at work and at school, but it is a custom, not a rule.
• After 5.5 hours of work, you have the right to a break of 30 minutes. You may split it into two breaks of 15 minutes.
• Lunch at school depends on the school: continurooster, TSO or lunch at home.
• The Voedingscentrum gives advice, and each school makes its own food rules.