When keeping fat down is the main priority for festival food, start with plain raisins, sultanas or fruit-focused snacks rather than assuming a fruit-and-nut mix meets the same need. Check fat per 100g and the ingredients on the exact pack: ASDA Groceries lists 1.2g fat per 100g for its Seedless Raisins, while Joybuy lists 34.7g per 100g for one Be&Cheery fruit-and-nut mix. Pack size, sugars and allergens also matter when food will be shared.
If you are adding dried fruit to cakes, couscous or salads, a larger bag of plain fruit may suit the recipe better than individually portioned snacks. Compare fat per 100g, ingredients and allergen information before choosing what to serve.
Smaller packs can be easier to carry and divide between people. Check the stated serving size alongside the fat and sugars figures, and read the ingredients if juice concentrate, oils or preservatives matter to your choice.
When dried fruit is supplied or sold at an event, ingredient and allergen information matters as much as the type of fruit. The Food Standards Agency sets specific labelling requirements for qualifying food prepacked for direct sale in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; check which rules apply to the way your food is prepared and offered.
Choose a format for the dish or eating occasion, then compare the exact packs on a per-100g basis and check their ingredients.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fat and fruit content | Compare fat per 100g on the nutrition panel. Read the ingredients to distinguish plain fruit from a fruit-and-nut mix; do not judge by the front of the pack alone. | I want dried fruit for a dish or snack without choosing a nut-containing mix by mistake. ASDA Groceries lists 1.2g fat per 100g for its Seedless Raisins; Joybuy lists 34.7g per 100g for Be&Cheery Daily Mixed Nuts and Dried Fruits. Those are figures for two specific products, not every pack in either category. |
| Sugars and portions | Read sugars per 100g and per serving where shown. The NHS says 30g of dried fruit counts as one 5 A Day portion and advises eating it at mealtimes. | For shared food, I need to know how much fruit goes into each serving rather than treating a lower fat figure as permission to use any quantity. ASDA Groceries lists 70g sugars per 100g for its Seedless Raisins. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the current ingredients and allergen statements for nuts, sulphites and other ingredients relevant to the people being served. For qualifying food prepacked for direct sale in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, check the Food Standards Agency’s requirements for the food name, full ingredients list and emphasised allergens. | I am sharing food with other people, so I need the details for the exact pack I will use. ASDA Groceries lists sulphites in its Three Raisin Mix and says it may contain peanuts and nuts; that statement should not be assumed to apply to every raisin product. |
| Pack format | Match the pack size to the recipe or number of servings. For snacks, check whether portions are already separated; for a larger bag, check its storage instructions after opening. | A larger bag makes sense if I am measuring fruit into a shared dish, while separate small portions may be easier to hand out or carry. I still need to compare the labels of the formats I am considering. |
The fruit pictured on a pack does not tell you its fat content. Joybuy lists 34.7g fat per 100g for Be&Cheery Daily Mixed Nuts and Dried Fruits, compared with the 1.2g per 100g that ASDA Groceries lists for its Seedless Raisins.
Compare fat per 100g and read the ingredients. If nuts are wanted for a particular dish, account for the mix’s stated fat and allergens rather than treating it as equivalent to plain raisins.
A lower fat figure says nothing by itself about sugars. ASDA Groceries lists 70g sugars per 100g for its Seedless Raisins; the NHS says 30g of dried fruit counts as one 5 A Day portion and advises eating dried fruit at mealtimes.
Check sugars and serving information when planning a recipe or dividing a pack into portions. Consider when the dried fruit will be served, not just what the front label says.
Ingredients differ even among fruit-focused products. ASDA Groceries lists sulphites in its Three Raisin Mix, while its Seedless Raisins list raisins and sunflower oil. A shared dish needs the ingredient and allergen details of the product actually used.
Read the current pack before buying and again when preparing food for others. If you are a food business making qualifying food prepacked for direct sale in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, follow the Food Standards Agency’s applicable ingredients and allergen-labelling requirements.
A small snack pack and a larger cooking bag serve different purposes: one divides fruit into ready-to-carry portions, while the other lets you measure it into a recipe or shared dish.
Work out how the fruit will be served before choosing the format, and check the storage instructions if a larger bag will remain open after preparation.
These examples show why the exact product label matters; a brand or retailer name alone does not establish a pack’s fat content or ingredients.
Whitworths sells plain raisins as well as mixed snack products, so check which line fits the food you are preparing.
Sunsweet focuses on prunes and provides recipes using them in prepared dishes.
Tesco lists own-label seedless raisins in a 1kg bag and a separate 12-pack, offering different formats for cooking and portioned snacks.
Sainsbury's lists fruit-focused BEAR snacks alongside its wider dried-fruit range.
ASDA lists both plain seedless raisins and a separate three-raisin mix.
M&S lists raisins for sweet and savoury dishes as well as fruit-and-nut products.
These Joybuy listings include smaller fruit snacks and 500g packs of raisins, sultanas or prunes for festival-food planning. Choose by serving format, then check the current nutrition and ingredient labels for your reduced-fat requirement.
No image available
Individually wrapped prunes offer separate portions to pack for an event. The title also identifies them as pitted; check the current nutrition and ingredients label, particularly if sugars affect your choice.
No image available
The 100g pack is an option for a small snack supply or a recipe needing a limited amount of raisins. Check its nutrition and ingredient information before using it for a reduced-fat dish.
No image available
Twelve 14g portions provide a ready-divided format for packing rather than measuring from a larger bag. The 12+ Months marking is part of this variant’s name; check the current pack information and choose food appropriate for the person being served.
No image available
A 500g bag lets you measure raisins into a shared festival dish or divide them into servings. Compare the current fat and sugars figures and follow the pack’s storage instructions after opening.
No image available
For a recipe calling for sultanas, the 500g format can be measured into a larger batch rather than handed out as individual packs. Read the current nutrition, ingredients and allergen information before preparing food to share.
No single figure applies to every product. ASDA Groceries lists 1.2g fat per 100g for its Seedless Raisins, and Sainsbury's lists less than 0.5g per 100g for BEAR Dried Strawberries; Joybuy lists 34.7g per 100g for Be&Cheery Daily Mixed Nuts and Dried Fruits. Compare the exact packs’ per-100g panels and ingredients before choosing.
The NHS says 30g of dried fruit counts as one 5 A Day portion and advises eating dried fruit at mealtimes rather than between meals. Use the pack’s serving information when dividing fruit for a dish or snack.
For qualifying food prepacked for direct sale by a food business in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, Food Standards Agency guidance requires the food name and a full ingredients list with allergenic ingredients emphasised. Check with the relevant local authority how the rules apply to your event and preparation method, particularly if the event is in Scotland.