Choose dried fruit for an office biscuit tin by the specific ingredient or allergen a colleague needs to avoid, not by a fruit-based or vegan description. Check the current pack against confirmed requirements and keep its label available wherever the food is shared; if requirements are unknown, do not describe the tin as free-from. Individual packs keep each product’s information with its serving, but need the same checks.
The right way to stock a shared tin depends on whether colleagues have named requirements and whether each serving retains its label.
If a colleague needs to avoid a named ingredient or allergen, compare that requirement with the ingredients and precautionary statements on the current pack. Do not assume that dried fruit as a category meets it.
A fruit-based alternative to biscuits can be offered without calling the selection allergen-free. Keep the original packaging beside any shared food so colleagues can read its product information.
A sealed pack keeps the product label with the serving and avoids repeated handling of a loose tin. Check its ingredients and allergy wording just as you would for a larger bag.
Start with any confirmed exclusion, then decide whether a labelled individual pack or a shared tin makes the information easier for colleagues to use.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Named allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen wording against the specific exclusion. Check any precautionary statement, such as ‘may contain’, separately. | If I am buying for a colleague with an allergy, I need the product information for that exact pack before offering it. |
| Sulphites | Look for sulphur dioxide, sulphites or sodium metabisulphite in the ingredient and allergy information. Sainsbury's lists sulphur dioxide in its Apple Rings; Whitworths lists sodium metabisulphite in Fusions: Coconut x Pineapple. | A fruit-only description is not enough if I need to exclude sulphites from the office selection. |
| Dietary claims | Check vegan suitability and allergen statements as separate questions. Tesco describes its Snack Pack Mango as vegan but also lists precautionary warnings for peanuts, nuts, sesame seeds and soya. | I may want a vegan option, but I cannot use that claim to answer a colleague’s allergy question. |
| Serving format | For a shared tin, retain the original pack where colleagues can inspect it. For individual servings, check each labelled pack against the relevant requirement. | Would colleagues be better able to check their own serving if it stayed in its original packet? |
| Portion size | Compare the pack or serving size with the amount you intend to offer. The NHS identifies 30g of dried fruit as one 5 A Day portion. | If the tin stays on a desk, I want colleagues to be able to see what constitutes a serving rather than relying on a loose handful. |
A fruit-based appearance does not establish suitability for a named allergy. The Food Standards Agency explains that precautionary allergen labelling can indicate an allergen’s unintended presence.
Confirm the relevant requirements, check each current pack and keep its label available. Avoid a blanket free-from description when colleagues’ requirements are unknown.
Tesco Snack Pack Mango is described as vegan, yet Tesco also warns that it may contain peanuts, nuts, sesame seeds and soya.
Check vegan suitability and the named allergy requirement separately before choosing a pack.
Sulphur dioxide appears in Sainsbury's Apple Rings, while Whitworths lists sodium metabisulphite in Fusions: Coconut x Pineapple. Neither example fits a sulphite-free requirement.
Read the current ingredient and allergy information for sulphite-related wording, even when the product looks like plain fruit.
An open tin does not show how much dried fruit someone has taken. The NHS identifies 30g as one dried-fruit portion for 5 A Day.
Keep the pack’s serving information accessible or use labelled individual portions when a clear serving cue matters.
These examples show why the exact product and its current label matter more than the name on the front of the pack.
M&S Food lists four ingredients for its Mixed Dried Fruit 500g: sultanas, raisins, currants and sunflower oil. That ingredient list is not itself a free-from claim.
Tesco Snack Pack Mango is a 35g individual pack described as suitable for vegans.
Sainsbury's Apple Rings 100g lists apples and sulphur dioxide in its ingredients.
Whitworths products in this category range from dried-fruit combinations to multi-ingredient snack mixes, so requirements must be checked by product.
These options include small dried-fruit packs and larger bags that could be considered for office use. Check each current pack against any named requirement before placing it in a shared tin or offering it as a desk snack.
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The 20g pack is an individual dried-fruit option for desk distribution. Check its current ingredients, allergy information and any precautionary wording against colleagues’ requirements.
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The 10g freeze-dried peach pack offers an individual serving rather than fruit transferred into a communal tin. Check the current label for the specific exclusion you need to accommodate.
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This 500g bag is a larger-format option for office use. Check the pack’s preparation instructions before serving and keep its ingredient and allergy information beside any shared food.
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The 100g pack needs a preparation check before it is treated as a ready-to-eat office snack. Read its current use instructions as well as its ingredients and allergy information.
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This 300g bag is a larger-format choice for a shared selection. Keep its current ingredients, allergy information and any safety instructions available to colleagues rather than relying on the brand name.
No. A free-from description needs to identify the particular exclusion and be consistent with the current information for every product offered. The Food Standards Agency explains that precautionary allergen labelling can signal an allergen’s unintended presence, so check that wording as well as the ingredients.
Vegan status does not establish suitability for those allergies. Tesco describes its Snack Pack Mango as vegan but warns that it may contain peanuts, nuts, sesame seeds and soya; compare the current pack with each colleague’s named requirement.
Check the current ingredients and allergy information for sulphur dioxide, sulphites and sodium metabisulphite. For example, Sainsbury's lists sulphur dioxide in its Apple Rings, while Whitworths lists sodium metabisulphite in Fusions: Coconut x Pineapple; neither example fits a sulphite-free requirement.
Individual packs keep each serving’s label close at hand; a loose tin requires the original packaging to remain available so colleagues can check what it contains. Neither format replaces checking the current product information against a confirmed free-from need.
The NHS identifies 30g of dried fruit as one 5 A Day portion. Check the pack size or serving information if you want to make portions clear when stocking an office tin.