Start with attendees’ declared requirements, then check the ingredients and allergen statement for each exact bar and flavour; vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free describe different things. Tesco Groceries lists nākd. Cocoa Hazelnut as vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free, but it contains peanuts and hazelnuts. Higher-protein vegan examples from PhD and Myprotein contain soya, gluten-containing ingredients or peanut ingredients, so protein content cannot take priority over a declared restriction.
Collect requirements before ordering, so the venue or caterer can match each attendee to an identified product rather than a broad free-from category. The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers’ event toolkit emphasises clear, consistent communication of dietary needs between planners, venues and caterers.
Keep the ingredients and allergen statement for each flavour available when allocating bars. GOV.UK guidance says UK retail and catering food businesses must provide allergen information for prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink and manage allergens effectively.
Protein per bar may matter, but a vegan label does not resolve a separate allergy. PhD’s Smart Plant bars and Myprotein’s Vegan Carb Crusher illustrate why the exact ingredients still need checking when soya, gluten, peanuts or nuts are a concern.
Set out the attendee requirements first, screen each exact flavour against them, then compare protein amounts among the products that remain suitable for those requirements.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Allergen information | Read the complete ingredients and allergen statement for the exact flavour. Keep that information available at service, including any relevant “may contain” statement. GOV.UK guidance requires UK catering businesses to provide allergen information for prepacked and non-prepacked food. | I need to know which identified bar matches each attendee’s declared restriction before it is handed out. |
| Free-from claims | Check vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free claims separately from peanut, tree-nut and soya information. Tesco Groceries lists nākd. Cocoa Hazelnut as vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free, but its ingredients include peanuts and hazelnuts. | A bar that works for someone avoiding dairy may not work for a colleague avoiding nuts. |
| Protein per bar | Compare amounts for the stated bar sizes, not just the front-of-pack description. Joybuy lists 7.2 g per 45 g nākd. Cocoa Hazelnut bar and 20 g per 64 g PhD Smart Plant Vanilla Fudge or Salted Caramel bar; the PhD ingredient lists include soya, gluten-containing malt extract and peanut paste. | If protein amount is important to me, I still need the chosen flavour to meet my dietary requirements. |
| Service and labelling | Identify each flavour at distribution and retain its original wrapper where practicable. If the caterer packs food for direct sale on the same premises or location, check the applicable PPDS label requirements: the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland state that PPDS labels must show the food name and full ingredients, with regulated allergens emphasised. | I want to be able to identify my allocated bar and read the information that applies to it. |
Joybuy’s ingredient listings for PhD Smart Plant Vanilla Fudge and Salted Caramel include soya, gluten-containing malt extract and peanut paste. Myprotein lists wheat and soya in Vegan Carb Crusher.
Compare every exact flavour’s ingredients and allergen statement with the attendee requirements; use vegan labelling only for the requirement it addresses.
Tesco Groceries lists nākd. Cocoa Hazelnut as gluten-free and dairy-free, but also lists peanuts and hazelnuts as ingredients and warns that it may contain soya and other nuts.
Check nut ingredients and precautionary statements separately, and allocate a different checked product where the attendee’s restriction requires one.
Grenade’s selection-box information directs buyers to individual bar packaging for fuller allergen details. A range-level description cannot establish the ingredients of the particular flavour being served.
Record the full product name and flavour alongside its current ingredient and allergen statement, then make that information available to the service team.
GOV.UK guidance requires allergen information for both prepacked and non-prepacked food supplied by UK catering businesses. Food packed by the same business on the premises or location where it is offered may fall within the separate prepacked-for-direct-sale rules.
If bars are repacked in that PPDS format, the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland say the label must display the food name and full ingredients list, with regulated allergens emphasised. Check the format before changing the original presentation.
These examples show why dietary claims need checking at product and flavour level; a brand name alone does not establish suitability.
Cocoa Hazelnut is an example to consider when vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free claims are needed but peanut and hazelnut avoidance is not.
Smart Plant is a vegan-labelled option for attendees whose requirements permit the ingredients in the chosen flavour.
Vegan Carb Crusher requires ingredient and precautionary-allergen screening before conference allocation.
Vegan Fudge Brownie shows why a vegan-labelled bar should not be selected to meet a gluten-free requirement.
Check Grenade bars by individual flavour rather than assigning one allergen profile to a mixed selection.
The retailer’s nākd. Cocoa Hazelnut listing brings dietary claims, ingredients and allergy information together for that product.
These multipacks and cases offer different flavours and pack formats for conference snack planning. Match each exact bar’s current label to attendees’ requirements before deciding how to allocate it.
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The three-pack format gives organisers a defined quantity to plan around. Check the exact wrapper’s gluten and soya information before assigning these flapjacks to attendees with those restrictions.
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This four-pack is a peanut and chocolate flavour option for attendees whose requirements permit the ingredients on its wrapper. Check the current peanut, soya, milk and other nut statements before allocation.
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The salted caramel nut variant comes in a four-pack. Keep it distinct from the peanut and chocolate variant when recording flavours, and check its current peanut, almond, soya and milk information against attendee requirements.
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The 12-bar case offers a larger quantity of one named flavour for event planning. Grenade advises checking individual bar packaging for allergen details, so use the Double Chocolate statement rather than a range-level description.
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This 12-bar case provides a Golden Caramel flavour choice. Record its own ingredient and allergen statement before service; the Double Chocolate flavour’s details should not be used in its place.
No. A vegan claim does not establish that a bar is free from gluten, soya or nuts. Joybuy’s ingredient listings for PhD Smart Plant Vanilla Fudge and Salted Caramel include soya, gluten-containing malt extract and peanut paste; check the exact product statement against each attendee’s requirement.
No. Tesco Groceries lists nākd. Cocoa Hazelnut as gluten-free and dairy-free, but it contains peanuts and hazelnuts and may contain soya and other nuts. Allocate bars according to each declared requirement, with a separately checked option when that product does not meet it.
GOV.UK guidance says UK retail and catering food businesses must provide allergen information for prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink and manage food allergens effectively. Keep the information for the exact bars being served available to attendees and the service team.
If the food is prepacked for direct sale by the same business on the premises or location where it is offered, PPDS labelling requirements apply. The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland state that the label must show the food name and a full ingredients list with the 14 regulated allergens emphasised.
Keep each flavour identifiable and match it to the attendee’s declared requirements using its own ingredient and allergen statement. Retaining the original individual wrapper makes that statement available at handover; where a declared allergy cannot be accommodated by the checked options, arrange a separate suitable option rather than relying on a general free-from claim.