Choose a small raisin box if you want a modest, individually packed portion; choose a 30g dried-fruit pack if the NHS 5 A Day portion size is your priority. A fruit-and-nut pack offers a different mix of ingredients but requires particular attention to nut warnings. For a TV night between meals, bear in mind that the NHS advises eating dried fruit at mealtimes rather than grazing on it as a snack, to reduce tooth-decay risk.
A small sealed box gives you one defined amount without opening a larger bag. Tesco Groceries lists 14g raisin boxes, while other listed portion packs contain 30g; compare the weight of one box or pouch, not just the multipack.
Check the ingredients and the amount in each pack. The NHS says 30g of dried fruit counts as one 5 A Day portion, but advises eating dried fruit at mealtimes rather than between meals to reduce tooth-decay risk.
Plain fruit, mixed-fruit boxes and fruit-and-nut packs can have different allergen declarations. ASDA Groceries lists sulphites and a precautionary nut statement for its mixed-fruit boxes; a Whitworths fruit-and-nut pack listed by Sainsbury’s contains peanuts. Check the exact pack before sharing.
Start with the amount you want in one sitting, then check when you plan to eat it and who will share the pack.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portion size | Read the weight of each box or pouch, the number of portions and the total pack weight. Tesco Groceries lists 14g raisin boxes; the NHS uses 30g of dried fruit for one 5 A Day portion. | I would rather open one small box for a light nibble, or choose a 30g dried-fruit pack when that portion size is what I want. |
| Eating occasion | Consider whether the fruit will be eaten with a meal or nibbled throughout the programme. The NHS advises eating dried fruit at mealtimes, not as a between-meal snack, to reduce tooth-decay risk. | If TV time is between meals, a sealed portion helps me decide how much to open, but it does not change the NHS advice about when to eat dried fruit. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredient and allergen declarations for the exact flavour. Check for nuts, peanuts, sulphur dioxide or sulphites, and any precautionary statement. | When sharing, I need a pack that suits everyone eating it; a mixed-fruit box and a fruit-and-nut pack cannot be assumed to have the same ingredients. |
| Pack format | Check whether the product contains separate boxes, sachets or bars, and how many are in the multipack. Do not mistake the multipack’s total weight for one serving. | Separate packs make it easier to set one aside for a TV night; I still want to know how much each contains. |
ASDA Groceries declares sulphites and a precautionary nut statement for its mixed-fruit boxes. The Whitworths fruit-and-nut pack listed by Sainsbury’s contains peanuts and sweetened cranberries.
Read the ingredients and allergen declaration on the exact pack or variety before buying it for someone else.
The NHS says 30g of dried fruit counts as one 5 A Day portion, while advising that dried fruit be eaten at mealtimes rather than between meals to reduce tooth-decay risk.
Decide how much to open, and consider having dried fruit with a meal rather than nibbling throughout a TV programme.
Online ranges and local stock can differ, which matters if you are planning snacks for a particular evening.
Check the current retailer listing or local shop, then compare an alternative by individual portion size, ingredients and allergen declaration.
Tesco Groceries lists a seedless-raisin multipack containing 12 individual 14g boxes.
ASDA Groceries lists mixed-fruit snack boxes in a 10 × 14g format.
Sainsbury’s lists Mini Snack Raisins in a 12 × 14g format among its snacking-fruit products.
Whitworths 1Ders includes 30g fruit-and-nut and dried-fruit portion-pack formats listed by Sainsbury’s.
M&S lists raisin snack boxes and other dried-fruit and fruit-and-nut formats.
These options cover small raisin boxes, individually packed dates and fruit-and-nut formats, plus a single pack of freeze-dried peach. A fruit-and-nut bar is a different format from a loose-fruit pouch, so compare the individual pack descriptions as well as their weights.
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For a small raisin portion, this multipack specifies 12 boxes of 14g each. The product name carries a 12+ months age designation; check the pack information when choosing food for a child.
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Choose this format if you want a fruit-and-nut bar rather than loose dried fruit: the pack specifies four 35g bars. Check the exact ingredient and allergen declaration before sharing.
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If you want individually packed dates, this 900g multipack specifies 30 sachets of 30g. Check the pack’s preparation and eating information before serving.
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This nuts-and-dried-fruit format comes as 30 sachets in a 750g pack. Check the ingredients and allergen declaration for the mix before choosing it for a shared TV night.
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For a single small fruit pack rather than a raisin multipack, this is a 10g freeze-dried peach product. Its stated weight is below both the 14g snack-box format and the NHS 30g dried-fruit portion size.
Not necessarily. The NHS says 30g of dried fruit counts as one 5 A Day portion; a 14g box is smaller than that amount.
The NHS advises eating dried fruit at mealtimes rather than as a between-meal snack to reduce tooth-decay risk. Opening one portion at a time does not change that advice.
Check the exact pack for sulphur dioxide or sulphites, nuts, peanuts and relevant precautionary statements. The Food Standards Agency notes that sulphites are often used in dried fruit, while listed ASDA mixed-fruit boxes and Whitworths fruit-and-nut packs show that declarations differ by product.
Do not assume they are. The Whitworths 30g fruit-and-nut pack listed by Sainsbury’s warns that it is not suitable for small children because they can choke on nuts; check the warning on the exact product.