Fairtrade-minded hunt organisers
If Fairtrade sourcing matters, check the mark on the chocolate or biscuit you actually buy. Serving certified chocolate beside an unmarked biscuit does not certify the biscuit.
Who is this choice for?
Families serving ginger biscuits
A biscuit can be a separate snack rather than the item hidden for the hunt. When young children will eat, consider each food’s size, shape and texture, as NHS choking-prevention guidance advises.
Hosts accommodating dietary restrictions
Ordinary ginger nuts and a gluten-free ginger-snap alternative are different products. Check the supplied pack’s full ingredients and allergen information for each guest.
What should you check before buying?
Decide whether the hunt needs marked chocolate, biscuits to serve alongside it, or both; then check each pack against the people who will eat it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade sourcing | Look for a FAIRTRADE Mark on the particular pack. Where a Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient mark names cocoa, distinguish that ingredient claim from a claim about every ingredient. | I want to know which treat, or which ingredient in it, carries the Fairtrade claim—not assume it applies to the whole basket. |
| Treat format | Decide what will be placed in the hunt and what will be served afterwards. The Fairtrade Foundation identified Fairtrade-cocoa mini eggs in its March 2026 Easter selection; that example does not establish later availability. | Chocolate may be the hunt treat, while ginger biscuits are something to offer separately. I can choose either or both without treating them as interchangeable. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current pack, including allergen statements. McVitie’s and Waitrose list wheat in their ginger nuts; M&S describes its Made Without Wheat Stem Ginger Snaps as gluten-free, but lists milk and warns about nuts and peanuts. | If a guest has a dietary restriction, I need to check the whole label. A gluten-free description does not answer a separate milk or nut question. |
| Quantity and children’s safety | For biscuit planning, McVitie’s describes roughly 25 biscuits in its 250 g Ginger Nuts pack, while Waitrose describes roughly 30 in its 300 g Essential pack. Consider food size, shape and texture for young children; NHS-affiliated guidance warns against chocolate eggs with small toys for under-fours. | I want enough suitable treats for those attending, without choosing small hunt items solely because they are easy to hide. |
What is easy to overlook?
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Calling every treat in the basket Fairtrade
A mark on the chocolate does not extend its certification claim to biscuits served beside it.
Check each pack and describe the chocolate and biscuits separately.
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Reading “gluten-free” as an all-allergen statement
M&S Made Without Wheat Stem Ginger Snaps are described as gluten-free, but their product information lists milk and carries nut- and peanut-allergy warnings.
Check every relevant ingredient and allergen statement on the pack supplied before serving it.
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Choosing small treats without considering who will eat them
NHS guidance says size, shape and texture matter when preparing food for young children. NHS-affiliated guidance specifically warns against chocolate eggs containing small toys for under-fours.
Choose and serve treats with the children’s ages and abilities in mind, keep small toys away from young children, and supervise eating.
Which brands provide useful examples?
McVitie’s
A conventional ginger-nut biscuit to consider when biscuits, rather than hunt chocolate, are wanted.
- McVitie’s lists a 250 g Ginger Nuts pack containing roughly 25 biscuits.
- Its ingredient information lists wheat. Check the pack for any Fairtrade claim rather than inferring one from the biscuit’s name.
Waitrose
Its Essential Ginger Nuts offer another conventional biscuit format for portion planning.
- Waitrose lists a 300 g pack with approximately 30 biscuits.
- The listed ingredients include wheat; the product information does not establish a Fairtrade claim.
M&S
Its ginger snaps include a separately identified gluten-free alternative, rather than one biscuit suitable for every dietary need.
- M&S describes Made Without Wheat Stem Ginger Snaps as gluten-free.
- That product lists milk and carries nut- and peanut-allergy warnings. Standard M&S Ginger Snaps contain wheat and carry a milk-allergy warning.
Divine
A chocolate example for shoppers whose priority is Fairtrade cocoa rather than a ginger biscuit.
- The Fairtrade Foundation’s March 2026 Easter selection named Divine hazelnut-praline mini eggs made with Fairtrade cocoa.
- That seasonal example does not establish availability for a later hunt. Check the mark and ingredient information on the pack you buy.
Ginger-flavoured biscuits on Joybuy
These are ginger-flavoured biscuit options to consider serving alongside an Easter hunt. A dark-chocolate ginger biscuit, a ginger crunch biscuit and a gingerbread-flavoured digestive are distinct from Fairtrade-labelled hunt chocolate; check each pack if certification is essential.
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Border Biscuits Dark Chocolate Gingers 150g
A dark-chocolate ginger biscuit to serve as a separate snack. Check the supplied pack’s Fairtrade mark and allergen information before offering it to guests.
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Border Biscuits Fiery Ginger Crunch 135g
A ginger crunch biscuit for guests who want a biscuit alongside the hunt. Check the pack’s ingredients, allergen statements and any Fairtrade mark before serving.
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McVitie’s Gingerbread Chocolate Digestives 266g
A gingerbread-flavoured chocolate digestive, not a conventional ginger nut. If either Fairtrade certification or an allergen restriction matters, check the particular pack before choosing it.
Questions about Easter hunt treats
Does a ginger-nut ingredient list prove it is Fairtrade-certified?
No. Check the particular pack for a FAIRTRADE Mark; if it has a Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient mark, check which ingredient is named. The McVitie’s and Waitrose ginger-nut product descriptions do not establish a Fairtrade claim.
What should I check before children eat the hunt treats?
Check the supplied packs against guests’ dietary needs, then consider how the food will be served. NHS guidance says food size, shape and texture matter when preventing choking; supervise young children while they eat and keep small toys away from them.
How should opened ginger nuts be stored?
Follow the instructions on the pack you buy. Joybuy’s product information for McVitie’s Ginger Nuts 250g says to use an airtight container once opened; do not assume the same instructions apply to a different biscuit.
Can I use a 2026 Easter chocolate selection for a later hunt?
Use it to identify the kind of marked product to look for, not to assume the same item will be on sale. The Fairtrade Foundation’s March 2026 selection documented Fairtrade-cocoa examples from that season; check the available product’s mark, ingredients and allergen information when you buy it.