Choose a dried-fruit-containing bar over plain dried fruit if a UK high-protein claim is essential, but check its nutrition panel: a protein-focused name alone does not meet the claim. Sainsbury's lists just 0.7g protein per 30g of its mixed dried fruit; Tesco's figures for the Eat Natural fruit-and-nut bar work out at about 21% of energy from protein, above the 20% threshold set out by legislation.gov.uk. Bars and mixes can differ substantially in sugars, ingredients and allergens.
For an afternoon tea break, the deciding question is whether you need a product that qualifies as high protein or simply prefer fruit, nuts or a portable bar.
Compare protein with the food's energy value, not just its name or protein per serving. Plain dried fruit and the fruit-and-nut mixes described here do not meet the UK high-protein threshold; the Eat Natural bar described by Tesco does.
A portable bar may suit your dietary requirements without qualifying as high protein. Sainsbury's describes the Nakd Cherry bar as vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free and lists 6.2g protein per 45g bar; its declared protein and energy values fall below the UK high-protein threshold.
Compare the portion you would eat, then read the ingredients and allergen declaration. Fruit-and-nut products can contain peanuts, tree nuts, soya, milk ingredients or sulphites, while their sugars per serving also vary.
Start with the role of the snack: plain dried fruit for fruit flavour, a loose mix for fruit and nuts, or a bar whose nutrition values meet a specific protein requirement. Then compare portions and ingredients, because the formats are not interchangeable.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| High-protein claim | Read protein and energy values for the same quantity. Under the UK rule set out by legislation.gov.uk, at least 20% of the food's energy must come from protein for a high-protein claim; the Department of Health and Social Care's 2024 guidance covers these retained nutrition-claim rules. | If high protein is non-negotiable, I need to check the calculation rather than rely on the word ‘protein’ in a bar's name. Tesco's declared values put the Eat Natural fruit-and-nut bar at about 21% of energy from protein. |
| Snack format | Compare protein per serving and per 100g, and check whether the product is plain fruit, a fruit-and-nut mix or a bar. Sainsbury's lists 0.7g protein per 30g of its mixed dried fruit; Whitworths lists 4.1g per 30g of its 1DERS fruit-and-nut mix. | For a fruit-focused tea break, I may prefer loose dried fruit. If protein is the reason for buying the snack, I need a different format and must still check whether it qualifies as high protein. |
| Sugars and portion | Read sugars for the portion you plan to eat alongside the ingredient list. Sainsbury's lists 22.2g sugars per 30g of mixed dried fruit, while its listing for the Nakd Cherry bar gives 15g per 45g bar; those are different portion sizes. | I want to know how sweet my usual portion is, rather than assume that dried fruit or ‘no added sugar’ wording tells me the sugars per serving. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the current pack's ingredients, declared allergens and any may-contain statement. The Tesco-listed Eat Natural bar includes peanuts, soya, almonds and milk-containing caramel; ASDA lists several nuts, peanuts and sulphites in its Fruit & Nut Mix. | If I need to avoid an ingredient, a vegan label or a dried-fruit description is not enough to decide whether this particular snack suits me. |
Protein per bar does not establish the share of energy supplied by protein. The Sainsbury's figures for the Nakd Cherry bar fall below the UK 20% high-protein threshold set out by legislation.gov.uk, despite its protein-focused name.
Use protein and kcal values from the same nutrition panel. To assess the claim, divide protein grams multiplied by 4kcal by the corresponding total kcal, then multiply by 100.
Sainsbury's Mixed Dried Fruit provides 0.7g protein per 30g serving. Choosing it for fruit flavour is a different decision from choosing a snack to meet a high-protein requirement.
If protein is the deciding factor, compare a bar's declared protein and energy values rather than treating fruit-only snacks as equivalent.
A product can have sugars on its nutrition panel regardless of front-of-pack wording. Sainsbury's lists 15g sugars per 45g Nakd Cherry bar and 22.2g per 30g of its mixed dried fruit.
Check sugars per serving and the ingredient list, using the portion you would actually eat.
The fruit-and-nut examples use ingredients including peanuts, tree nuts, soya or milk; some mixes also contain sulphites. Similar-looking snack formats need not have the same allergen profile.
Read the exact pack's allergen declaration and may-contain statement before buying.
These named products illustrate how nutrition and ingredients change across snack formats; the figures describe the specified products, not every item made or stocked by each brand or retailer.
Whitworths' 1DERS Energising Fruit and Nut Mix is a 30g pack containing peanuts, raisins and sweetened dried cranberries.
Sainsbury's lists both its own mixed dried fruit and the Nakd Cherry Fruit & Nut Protein Bar, showing the difference between fruit-only and bar formats.
Tesco lists the Eat Natural Fruit & Nut Protein Bar with Peanuts, Almonds & Salted Caramel, a dried-fruit-containing bar rather than plain fruit.
ASDA Fruit & Nut Mix is a loose alternative to an individually wrapped bar.
M&S Orchard Fruits Medley is a dried-fruit mix for someone choosing fruit flavour rather than a protein-led bar.
These options cover a peanut-and-chocolate protein bar, plain nuts and a seed-and-goji-berry mix. Plain nuts do not contain dried fruit, and a seed mix used as a topping serves a different tea-break purpose from a ready-to-eat bar; check each product against the snack you actually want.
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An individually wrapped peanut-and-chocolate bar is an option for a portable tea-break snack, but it is not a dried-fruit snack. If a high-protein claim is central to your choice, compare the current pack's protein and energy values; check its allergen declaration for peanuts, soya and milk.
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These are plain cashews, not a fruit-and-nut mix; the 250g bag is a different format from an individual bar. If you want dried fruit alongside them, that would be a separate choice. Check the current pack's allergen and may-contain statements.
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A 500g bag of pistachios offers a nut snack rather than dried fruit or a single-serving bar. Compare a portion that suits your tea break, and read the current pack's ingredients and allergen declaration.
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This loose seed-and-goji-berry mix suits someone adding a topping to another food rather than choosing an individually wrapped tea-break bar. Check the portion used and the current pack's allergen and may-contain statements.
Compare protein with total energy for the same quantity of food. For a UK high-protein claim, the rule set out by legislation.gov.uk requires at least 20% of the food's energy to come from protein; the Department of Health and Social Care's 2024 guidance covers the retained nutrition-claim rules. Multiply protein grams by 4kcal, divide by the matching total kcal and multiply by 100. Tesco's figures put the specified Eat Natural bar at about 21%.
Do not choose plain dried fruit on the assumption that it is high protein. Sainsbury's lists 0.7g protein per 30g serving of its Mixed Dried Fruit; that product suits a fruit-focused choice rather than the same protein requirement as a qualifying bar.
Vegan status does not establish a high-protein claim. Sainsbury's describes its Nakd Cherry Fruit & Nut Protein Bar as vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free and lists 6.2g protein per 45g bar, but its declared protein and energy values fall below the UK 20% high-protein threshold set out by legislation.gov.uk.
Read the current pack's ingredients, allergen declaration and any may-contain statement for the exact product. The examples listed by Tesco, Whitworths and ASDA show that these snacks can contain peanuts or tree nuts; the specified Tesco bar also lists soya and milk-containing ingredients, while ASDA lists sulphites in its Fruit & Nut Mix.