Choose a plain digestive twin pack for a shared refreshment table, or an individually wrapped format when you want to hand out separate portions. A chocolate twin pack also suits sharing, but it needs dry storage protected from heat; check the label for ingredients and allergens, and keep the packaging available for visitors.
A twin pack gives you stock for a shared table, while individually wrapped bars provide separate hand-out portions. If you choose chocolate digestives, plan where you will keep them dry and out of the heat.
Decide whether visitors will take biscuits from a shared pack or receive a wrapped portion. Keep the original packaging close enough for them to check ingredients.
Choose a serving arrangement that leaves the current ingredient label accessible. The listed chocolate digestive examples include ingredients containing wheat, milk and soya, so do not assume a visitor can eat them without checking the particular pack.
Start with how you will serve the biscuits, then check storage instructions and the information visitors will need at the table.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Pack format | Check whether the pack contains shared inner packs or individually wrapped portions. Compare the stated pack size with how you intend to serve it. | I want to replenish a shared table, or give each visitor a separately wrapped portion without dividing an open pack. |
| Outdoor storage | Read the particular product’s storage instructions and plan for dry, shaded storage if choosing chocolate. Joybuy’s McVitie's milk-chocolate twin-pack information calls for protection from heat; M&S says to keep its chocolate digestive bars cool, dry and away from sunlight. | If my pitch has little shade, I need a format I can store in line with its label throughout the sale. |
| Ingredient information | Check the current label for ingredients and allergens, and keep it with the biscuits. GOV.UK guidance recommends retaining packaging so people with food hypersensitivities can inspect it. | Visitors should be able to check what a biscuit contains before taking one, including when I serve from an opened pack. |
| Food-supply duties | Consider whether you are selling or supplying food, rather than sharing it privately. GOV.UK says such activity may count as a food business; ask the relevant local authority what applies to your plans. | Before offering refreshments at a stall, I want to know which requirements apply to the way I will run it. |
Two inner packs provide stock for sharing, but not a separate wrapper for every visitor.
Decide whether you will serve from a shared pack or hand out wrapped portions before choosing between twin packs and individually wrapped bars.
Joybuy’s McVitie's milk-chocolate twin-pack information calls for dry storage protected from heat, while M&S advises keeping its chocolate digestive bars cool, dry and away from sunlight.
Plan shaded, dry storage for chocolate products and follow the instructions on the pack you buy.
Visitors cannot check the current ingredients if the biscuits are separated from their packaging. The listed chocolate digestive examples contain ingredients involving wheat, milk or soya.
Keep the original pack beside the serving area so visitors can inspect its ingredient and allergen information.
GOV.UK guidance says selling or supplying food, including supplying it free, may make an activity a food business; the circumstances matter.
Ask the local authority for the area where you plan to trade whether your activity requires registration or other steps.
These retailer listings illustrate pack formats to compare; a brand’s range does not establish the format or ingredients of every product it sells.
Tesco Groceries lists McVitie's Original Digestive Twin Pack and a milk-chocolate digestive twin pack.
Tesco Groceries lists own-label milk-chocolate, dark-chocolate and chocolate-chip digestive biscuits.
M&S lists individually wrapped milk-chocolate digestive biscuit bars as well as plain and chocolate digestives in its everyday-biscuit range.
These digestive twin packs are options for serving from a shared refreshment table: one plain and one dark chocolate. Neither is presented as an individually wrapped hand-out portion.
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The 2 x 315g plain digestive format is an option for a shared table; keep the pack available so visitors can check its ingredients.
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This 2 x 266g dark-chocolate twin pack is an option for a shared table where you can protect chocolate biscuits from heat; follow its storage instructions and keep the ingredient label available.
A plain twin pack suits a shared table when you cannot reliably protect chocolate from heat. If you choose chocolate, follow the particular pack’s storage instructions: Joybuy’s McVitie's milk-chocolate twin-pack information calls for dry storage protected from heat, and M&S advises keeping its chocolate digestive bars cool, dry and away from sunlight.
Consider them when you want to hand each visitor a separate portion rather than serve from a shared pack. M&S describes its milk-chocolate digestive biscuit bars as individually wrapped; keep the outer packaging so visitors can check the ingredients.
Keep the current product packaging with the biscuits and let visitors read its ingredient and allergen information before taking one. The listed chocolate digestive examples include ingredients involving cereals containing gluten, milk and soya, but the label of the particular product being served is the one to check.
You can choose a practical way to serve them, but retain the original packaging so ingredients remain available to visitors. GOV.UK guidance recommends keeping packaging for people with food hypersensitivities to inspect; if your activity is a food business, check the applicable allergen requirements as well.
GOV.UK says selling or supplying food free of charge may count as a food business, depending on the activity. Its registration guidance says food businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must register with the local authority at least 28 days before trading. Ask the authority for your event area how the rules apply to your plans; for an event in Scotland, seek advice from the relevant Scottish local authority.