Guide
Allergens in dried apricots
Bright orange dried apricots are usually treated with sulphur dioxide. Sulphites must be declared when present above 10 mg/kg. Darker unsulphured apricots are a different ingredient. Do not use one label for both.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The usual pattern
Sulphur dioxide keeps the colour and extends shelf life. It is an intentional treatment, not a trace from the orchard. The same pattern sits on many glacé cherries, dried mango and dried apple rings.
What to check in dried apricots
| What you see | What it means on a PPDS label |
|---|---|
| Sulphured apricots | Sulphur dioxide / sulphites |
| Unsulphured apricots | No sulphites, if the spec says so |
| Glacé cherries | Often sulphites too |
| Apricot jam | May or may not — check the jar |
How to write it on the label
PPDS food needs the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the 14 allergens emphasised every time they appear. The Food Standards Agency’s PPDS guidance is the practical reference. A typical ingredients fragment looks like this — yours must follow the specification of the product you actually use.
Example fragment
Dried apricots, preservative: sulphur dioxide.
Where it shows up
Flapjacks, tagines, tea loaves, couscous salads and cheese boards you pack.
Unsulphured on the recipe card, sulphured in the tub
The cheaper orange apricot is the one with sulphites. If that is what went into the flapjack, it goes on the label.
Only declare sulphites at or above 10 mg/kg in the finished food. If you are unsure of the level, ask the supplier rather than omitting them.
Specification first
Brands differ. Treat this page as the usual pattern, then match the label to the tub, bag or recipe in front of you.
Questions
Are brown dried apricots sulphite-free?
Do I declare sulphites in a large cake with a few apricots?
Official sources
Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.
- Introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS foodFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Labelling guidance for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food productsFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
- Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidanceFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK