For a board game night, choose a dried-fruit or fruit-snack pack by checking its current label against each guest’s specific allergen needs; vegan wording or a short ingredient list is not a substitute. Keep packs identifiable when serving, and pay particular attention to sulphites: the Food Standards Agency says they are often used in dried fruit.
Ask which allergens each guest needs to avoid, then let them check the current pack. The Food Standards Agency says UK food businesses must provide information when any of the 14 regulated allergens are used as ingredients; suitability still depends on the particular product.
Choose a format that lets guests identify their food before eating. Tesco lists BEAR Fruit Bites Berry as five individually packed 20 g portions; keep its label available rather than assuming the same statements apply to other BEAR products.
Read each ingredients list, including those on mixed-fruit packs. The Food Standards Agency identifies sulphur dioxide and sulphites as ingredients often used in dried fruit, and the listed Sainsbury’s, Whitworths and M&S examples show that recipes differ by product.
Start with the guest’s specific avoidance need, then check the exact pack and decide how to keep its identity clear on the table.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Allergen information | Read the current ingredients and allergen wording for the exact product. Match any free-from statement to the allergen that matters to your guest. | I need guests to be able to check a named product for themselves, rather than rely on its fruit ingredients or vegan wording. |
| Sulphites | Look for sulphur dioxide, sulphites and sodium metabisulphite in the ingredients. Check each component of a fruit mix, not just its front-of-pack name. | If someone avoids sulphites, I want to rule out packs that list them before putting snacks on the table. |
| Serving format | Check whether portions have their own packs or whether a larger pack can stay beside its serving dish. Keep different products and serving utensils separate. | Guests should be able to tell which fruit snack they are taking, even after the games have started. |
Sainsbury’s Apple Rings list sulphur dioxide, while its Tropical Fruit Mix lists sulphites in multiple components. Whitworths Luxury Mixed Fruit also declares sulphur dioxide.
For a guest avoiding sulphites, check the ingredients on the exact pack and repeat the check if you switch varieties.
Neither description establishes suitability for every allergen. Tesco’s listed cranberries have a short ingredients list, while the free-from statements on Tesco’s BEAR Fruit Bites Berry listing concern a different product.
Check the statement relevant to your guest’s avoidance need on the pack you intend to serve.
Guests can no longer tell which product’s ingredients and allergen wording apply to a piece of fruit. Food Standards Scotland also advises separation and cleaning to help prevent allergen cross-contact.
Keep packs identifiable and use separate dishes and utensils for different snacks.
A statement about one recipe or product does not establish what is printed on the pack being served.
Read the current physical label before serving. If an allergy-critical detail is unclear, do not present the snack as suitable.
These examples show why allergen wording must be checked by product, not assumed from a retailer or brand name.
Tesco lists both fruit snacks and conventional dried fruit with different product-specific information.
Its individual dried-fruit listings make ingredient checks possible across single-fruit and mixed products.
Whitworths provides allergen information for its named dried-fruit products.
M&S product pages include ingredients and specific allergy-suitability wording for the dried-fruit examples considered here.
These options include portioned fruit snacks, freeze-dried figs and dates for a board game table. Check each current pack against your guests’ specific allergen needs before serving; the BEAR variants here are not the BEAR Fruit Bites Berry product described above.
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The five 20 g Yoyo portions offer a fruit-roll format for the table rather than conventional dried-fruit pieces. Check the current pack’s ingredients and allergen wording for each guest’s needs.
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The five 20 g packs are a shaped fruit-snack option, not conventional dried fruit. Read this variant’s current label before offering it to a guest avoiding an allergen.
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This five-pack offers an apple-and-blackcurrant fruit-roll format for guests who prefer it to dried-fruit pieces. Check the allergen wording on this exact variant’s pack before serving.
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The 40 g pack offers freeze-dried figs rather than a fruit roll or conventional chewy dried fruit. Keep its label available so guests can check the ingredients and allergen information.
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This 300 g pack is a conventional dried-fruit option for a shared table. Check the dates’ own label rather than applying allergen information from another Whitworths product, and keep the pack identifiable if serving the dates in a dish.
No. Vegan wording does not establish the absence of a particular allergen or address cross-contact. Check the current pack for the ingredient and suitability information relevant to that guest; for example, M&S says its Dried Pineapple and Orchard Fruits Medley are not suitable for nut, peanut or sesame allergy.
Yes, if a guest needs to avoid them. The Food Standards Agency says sulphur dioxide and sulphites are often used in dried fruit, and Sainsbury’s Apple Rings, Sainsbury’s Tropical Fruit Mix and Whitworths Luxury Mixed Fruit list them. Check the exact pack rather than assuming another fruit variety has the same ingredients.
Read its current ingredients and allergen information, along with any relevant suitability or precautionary wording. The Food Standards Agency says UK food businesses must inform consumers when any of the 14 regulated allergens are used as ingredients; a statement about one product does not establish suitability for another.
Keep each product beside its original pack and use separate dishes and utensils rather than making an unlabelled mix. This lets guests identify what they are choosing and follows Food Standards Scotland’s advice on separation and cleaning to help prevent allergen cross-contact.