For a working-from-home lunch, choose plain dried fruit as a fruit addition, not as the main source of protein: the Sainsbury's apricots and prunes listed here provide no more than 0.8g protein in their stated servings. If you want fruit and more protein in one snack, Whitworths lists 2.6g to 4.1g per 30g serving for its two fruit-and-nut mixes; check the exact ingredients, allergens and portion before choosing one.
If another part of your lunch provides protein, plain dried fruit can add fruit without making the snack a protein choice. The NHS says 30g of dried fruit counts as one 5 A Day portion; that figure refers to the dried fruit, not the full weight of a fruit-and-nut mix.
If you can eat nuts and want more protein than plain dried fruit provides, compare fruit-and-nut mixes by their stated serving. Whitworths lists 2.6g protein per 30g serving for Wondermix Fight Fatigue and 4.1g per 30g pack for 1DERS Energising Fruit and Nut Mix.
A plain dried-fruit product may suit someone avoiding a nut-containing mix, but its own label still matters. The Sainsbury's apricots listed here contain sulphur dioxide, while the Whitworths fruit-and-nut mixes have nut-related ingredient or precautionary information.
Decide what will provide protein in the lunch, then compare serving sizes and ingredients across the snacks you could add.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | Compare protein per 100g and per stated serving. Check whether a product is plain fruit, a fruit-and-nut mix or a separate nut or seed food; these are different lunch components. | If protein is the reason I am choosing the snack, I want to know what the portion actually contributes. Whitworths lists 2.6g and 4.1g per 30g for its two fruit-and-nut mixes, while Sainsbury's lists 0.8g per serving for its apricots. |
| Portion and sugars | Read the pack's serving size and sugars per serving. 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. | I might add dried fruit to lunch for the fruit itself, while getting protein from another food. A 30g pack of mixed fruit and nuts is not necessarily 30g of dried fruit. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the exact pack for peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, sulphites and any relevant 'may contain' statement. Do not assume that products with similar names use the same ingredients. | If I need to avoid an ingredient, the particular mix matters more than the product-family name. I would check a plain-fruit label too, since fruit products can contain sulphites. |
The Sainsbury's apricots, M&S mixed fruit and Sainsbury's prunes listed here provide 1.7g to 2.7g protein per 100g. In the Whitworths fruit-and-nut products, the nuts help account for the higher protein figures.
Compare the serving on the nutrition panel. If you prefer plain dried fruit, plan another food as the protein part of lunch.
Nut varieties and precautionary allergen statements can differ between mixes. Whitworths' Wondermix Fight Fatigue information and the similarly named Joybuy listing describe different fruit and nut combinations.
Check the exact product version, ingredients and allergen statement before buying or substituting a mix.
Pack weight and serving weight are not the same. The NHS defines a dried-fruit 5 A Day portion as 30g and advises having dried fruit with a meal rather than as a between-meal snack.
Look at the stated serving before portioning lunch, and compare sugars using that serving rather than the bag's total weight.
These product examples show how much the choice between plain fruit and a nut-containing mix can change the protein figure; they do not describe every product from each brand.
The 1DERS Energising Fruit and Nut Mix and Wondermix Fight Fatigue are two fruit-and-nut examples to compare by serving and ingredients.
Its ready-to-eat apricots and prunes are plain dried-fruit reference points for a lunch that gets protein elsewhere.
M&S Mixed Fruit combines sultanas, raisins and currants for shoppers choosing fruit variety rather than a nut-containing snack.
These Joybuy options are nut-and-fruit mixes or a seed-and-goji-berry mix to consider alongside a working-from-home lunch. They are not plain dried-fruit alternatives, so check each product's ingredients and serving information for the role you want it to play.
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Consider this seed-and-berry mix if you want to add it to an existing lunch rather than eat plain dried fruit. The 200g product contains the seeds and goji berries named on the pack; check its serving information and its precautionary allergen statement, including nuts, sesame, mustard and soya.
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This fruit-and-nut mix is an option if you can eat tree nuts and want fruit alongside nuts at lunch. The pack is 750g; check its serving size, tree-nut ingredients and the added sugar in its dried-fruit components.
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This 115g nut-and-fruit product is another format to compare with plain dried fruit for lunch. It contains tree nuts, and its cranberries contain added sugar; read the exact ingredients and nutrition panel when deciding on a serving.
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The 30-sachet format gives you individually packed portions of this nut-and-dried-fruit mix for lunch. Check the ingredients before choosing it: the mix contains tree nuts, so the sachet format does not make it suitable for a nut allergy.
The plain dried-fruit examples here contribute little protein: Sainsbury's lists 0.8g per serving for its apricots and less than 0.5g per 30g serving for its prunes. If protein is a priority, include another suitable protein food rather than relying on the fruit.
Pair plain dried fruit with a protein-containing food that suits your lunch, such as beans, eggs, yoghurt or tofu. Alternatively, compare fruit-and-nut mixes: Whitworths lists 2.6g to 4.1g protein per 30g for the two mixes discussed here, but their nut ingredients and other allergens need checking.
Not necessarily. The NHS says 30g of dried fruit counts as one 5 A Day portion; some of the weight of a 30g fruit-and-nut mix is nuts. Check how much dried fruit the particular serving contains rather than counting the entire mix as dried fruit.
Read the exact pack for its nuts or peanuts and any sesame, sulphites or 'may contain' information relevant to you. Similar product-family names do not guarantee identical ingredients, and plain dried-fruit products can also list sulphites.
Follow that pack's storage instructions. Sainsbury's says to keep its prunes in a cool, dry place and use the zip closure, while the M&S Mixed Fruit instructions say to reseal the pack after opening; instructions for another product may differ.