Shoppers avoiding sulphites
Check the exact apricot pack, even when the fruit looks plain. Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda listings for dried apricots declare sulphur dioxide or sulphites, as does Asda’s listing for Whitworths Amazing Apricots.
Who needs to check the label?
The exclusion that matters to your household determines which declarations to look for; ‘dried fruit’ alone does not describe a product’s allergen information.
Families choosing nut-free fruit snacks
An explicit statement for the named variant is more useful than assuming a fruit snack is nut free. Waitrose lists BEAR Fruit Splits Strawberry & Apple 5 × 20 g as nut free; check that the pack delivered is the same product.
Shoppers managing substitutions
A substitute may have different ingredients or precautionary wording. Compare its label with your original choice rather than accepting it on the basis of flavour, brand or fruit type.
What should you check before ordering?
Start with the allergen you need to avoid, then compare the exact variant’s declaration and its intended use. An online shortlist does not replace checking the pack that arrives.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sulphites | Read the ingredient and allergy panels for sulphur dioxide or sulphites. Do not treat a short online ingredient list as an affirmative sulphite-free claim; inspect the delivered pack too. | I need to exclude sulphites, so a dried-apricot pack declaring them would not meet my requirement. Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda list sulphur dioxide or sulphites in the apricot products described here. |
| Nuts and sesame | Check ingredients, any ‘may contain’ statement and explicit suitability warnings for the exact mix or snack. The Food Standards Agency’s 2022 explanation of precautionary allergen labelling says it communicates possible unintended allergen presence. | For a nut-free order, I cannot assume a fruit mix is suitable from its name. Whitworths Wondermix carries precautionary warnings for peanuts and other nuts, while M&S Tropical Fruit Medley says it is unsuitable for people with nut, peanut or sesame allergies. |
| Gluten-free claim | Look for a gluten-free statement on the exact variant rather than inferring one from fruit ingredients. The Food Standards Agency defines ‘gluten-free’ as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in the food as sold to the final consumer. | If I require a gluten-free product, I want that declaration on the one I order. Waitrose lists BEAR Fruit Splits Strawberry & Apple 5 × 20 g as gluten free. |
| Delivery and use | Compare the ordered item with any substitute and check the received pack’s allergen advice. Check portion format and post-opening storage instructions if the fruit is for lunchboxes or will be used over several days. | I may want individually portioned fruit snacks for packed lunches, or a larger pack for cooking. In either case, I need the delivered product’s label to match my requirements. |
Common ordering mistakes
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Assuming dried fruit is sulphite-free
The Food Standards Agency identifies sulphur dioxide and sulphites as an allergen category relevant to dried fruit. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Whitworths apricot listings provide examples that declare them.
Search the exact product’s ingredients and allergy advice before checkout, then check those details again on the delivered pack.
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Choosing a fruit-and-nut mix as a nut-free snack
Whitworths Wondermix carries warnings that it may contain peanuts and other nuts. M&S Tropical Fruit Medley says it is unsuitable for people with nut, peanut or sesame allergies.
For a nut-free requirement, check the exact variant’s ingredients, precautionary wording and any explicit nut-free statement rather than relying on the word ‘fruit’.
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Keeping an old online ingredient list
Retailer product information can change, so a previously ordered item or a proposed substitute may not have the same declaration as the pack you receive.
If substitutions are offered, specify your requirements in the order where possible. Inspect the physical pack before eating.
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Choosing pack size without checking storage
Portioned snacks and larger cooking packs serve different uses. Post-opening instructions can differ too: the Asda Apricots 200 g listing says to refrigerate and use within seven days, while the Sainsbury’s Apricots 200 g listing gives up to four weeks refrigerated.
Choose a format you can use as directed, and follow the storage instructions on the exact pack delivered.
Product lines to compare
These examples show why an allergen declaration belongs to a particular product and variant, not an entire brand.
BEAR
Portioned fruit snacks are an alternative to loose dried fruit when you want to check a named variant’s free-from statements.
- Waitrose lists BEAR Fruit Splits Strawberry & Apple 5 × 20 g as nut free and gluten free.
- That listing does not establish the allergen declarations of every BEAR product; check the variant delivered.
Tesco
Tesco Ready To Eat Apricots 500 g is a conventional dried-apricot option to assess against a sulphite requirement.
- The named 500 g pack provides a larger format for shoppers seeking ready-to-eat apricots.
- Tesco’s listing declares sulphur dioxide and sulphites, so this pack does not fit a sulphite-exclusion requirement.
Sainsbury’s
Its dried-apricot listings include 40 g and 200 g packs for different portion needs.
- The two listed sizes let shoppers compare a small pack with one intended for more than one use.
- Both listings include sulphur dioxide in their ingredients; check the current pack rather than assuming either is sulphite-free.
Asda
Asda Apricots 200 g is a dried-fruit option whose online allergy advice needs reading alongside its ingredients.
- The product listing provides an explicit sulphite declaration for assessing this named pack.
- Asda states that Apricots 200 g contains sulphur dioxide or sulphites; it does not meet a sulphite-exclusion requirement.
Whitworths
Its apricots and fruit-and-nut mixes illustrate different allergen checks within one brand.
- The named products have distinct declarations that can be assessed separately.
- Asda lists Amazing Apricots as containing sulphites; Whitworths Wondermix carries precautionary warnings for peanuts, other nuts and sesame.
M&S
Its dried-fruit mixes show why one ingredient list cannot stand in for another product’s allergy advice.
- M&S Mixed Dried Fruit lists sultanas, raisins, currants and sunflower oil, with no sulphites named in that displayed ingredient list.
- That is not an affirmative free-from claim. M&S Tropical Fruit Medley separately warns that it is unsuitable for people with nut, peanut or sesame allergies.
Joybuy dried-fruit options
These Joybuy options include wolfberries for cooking and portioned BEAR fruit snacks. They are different products from the BEAR Fruit Splits Strawberry & Apple variant discussed above; check each listing and delivered pack against the allergens you need to avoid.
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Zheng Feng NingXia Wolfberry 100g ×2
Consider this two-pack for a cooking use rather than a ready-to-eat fruit snack; the product information says it requires cooking before consumption. Check the delivered packs’ ingredients, allergen advice and preparation instructions.
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BEAR Raspberry Yoyo 5 x 20g
The five 20 g fruit rolls offer a portioned snack format rather than loose dried fruit. If a particular allergen matters, check this raspberry variant’s own declaration and the pack delivered.
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BEAR Paws Strawberry Apple 5 x 20g
This strawberry-and-apple product comes as five 20 g fruit snacks. It is BEAR Paws, not the BEAR Fruit Splits variant in the Waitrose listing, so check its own allergen wording before choosing it for a free-from requirement.
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BEAR Apple & Blackcurrant Giant Fruit Yoyos 5 x 20g
Choose between this portioned fruit-roll format and loose dried fruit according to how you plan to use it. For an allergen-aware order, read the apple-and-blackcurrant variant’s declaration and check the delivered pack.
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BEAR Apple Fruit Yoyos 100g
This 100 g apple fruit-snack product differs in format from whole dried fruit. Check its own ingredient and allergen information, including any precautionary wording, before treating it as suitable for a specific exclusion.
Questions about free-from dried fruit
Can I assume dried fruit is free from sulphites?
No. The Food Standards Agency identifies sulphur dioxide and sulphites as an allergen category relevant to dried fruit, and the Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Whitworths apricot listings described here declare them. Check the exact product’s ingredient and allergy panels.
Does a short ingredient list establish that a fruit mix is nut free?
No. Ingredients alone do not answer what a product’s precautionary advice says. Check the full label: M&S Tropical Fruit Medley, for example, says it is unsuitable for people with nut, peanut or sesame allergies.
What does ‘gluten-free’ mean on a UK food label?
The Food Standards Agency defines it as no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in the food as sold to the final consumer. When you need a gluten-free product, look for the claim on the exact variant rather than inferring it from fruit ingredients.
Is the supermarket webpage enough to check allergens after delivery?
No. Use the webpage to make a shortlist, then read the pack you receive before eating. Retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and M&S advise that product or allergy information can change.
What should I check when ordering dried-fruit pieces for a young child?
Read the exact product’s warning and consider whether the child can manage the pieces’ size and texture. Asda’s Chopped Apricots 250 g listing warns that small children can choke on small pieces of fruit.