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Where to buy a pick and mix stand
Starting pick and mix in a shop, cafe or at an event takes more than sweets. Here is the kit our trade section sells, and the rules on allergens, weighing and hygiene that come with running a pick and mix counter.
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Our trade section at sweeties.net sells the kit for a pick and mix counter, alongside every sweet from our pick and mix in 3 kg bulk bags: see where to buy wholesale pick and mix
The kit
- Tray selector, 12 tubs. A countertop selector with twelve clear lidded tubs, a scoop holder and label slots.
- Tray selector, 24 tubs. Twenty four clear lidded tubs on a two tier selector, with scoop holders and label slots.
- Freestanding stand, 36 tubs. A three tier stand holding thirty six lidded tubs, for a full pick and mix wall.
- Spare tubs. Clear tubs with hinged lids that fit the selectors.
- Scoops and tongs. Clear food safe scoops sized for the tubs, and tongs for customers who prefer to pick one at a time.
- Scoop holder and hygiene guard. A clip on holder that keeps scoops off the sweets.
- Bags. Candy striped paper sweet bags, grease resistant, and clear food grade pick and mix bags.
- Tub labels. Printable labels with space for the sweet's name, its price per 100 g and an allergen panel.
- Counter scale. A 10 kg digital scale for weighing by the 100 g.
- Glass jars. Traditional shop style glass sweet jars with lids, for display and gifts: see where to buy sweet jars
Trade prices are shown without VAT, and VAT is added at checkout.
Allergens on the counter
Pick and mix is loose food, so the rules for non prepacked food apply. A business selling loose food must give allergen information for every item that contains any of the 14 allergens. It can be written, for example on tub labels or in an information pack, or given verbally, as long as a clearly visible notice tells customers how to get it: see pick and mix and allergies
Each 3 kg bulk bag in our trade section carries the same ingredients and allergen information as the sweet in our shop, ready to copy onto tub labels.
Weighing it properly
Loose sweets must be weighed and priced in metric, and scales used for trade must be approved and stamped. In the Metric Martyrs case, a Sunderland greengrocer was convicted in 2001 for using scales whose inspection stamps had been removed. Our counter scale carries a note to check its approval for trade before use in a shop: see why is pick and mix sold by weight?
Keeping it clean
Scoops and open bins are where hygiene questions start. A 2010 study by Irish students found bacteria mostly on scoops and bins, and in 2020 Covid guidance made cinemas remove open self service sweets. Sweden's rules from 1984 allowed loose sweets in larger shops only if each kind had its own container and scoop: see the pick and mix hygiene debate
For events
For weddings and parties, a sweet cart is the event version of a pick and mix counter: see what is a sweet cart?
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For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
Free to cite, quote, and reuse with attribution to sweeties.net.
Questions and answers
Where can I buy a pick and mix stand?
The trade section at sweeties.net sells countertop tray selectors with 12 or 24 lidded tubs and a freestanding stand with 36 tubs, with the scoops, bags, labels and 3 kg bulk bags of sweets to fill them.
What do I need to start selling pick and mix?
Tubs with lids, a scoop or tongs for each tub, bags, a scale approved for trade, labels showing the price and the allergens, and the sweets themselves.
Do I have to show allergens on a pick and mix stand?
Yes. A business selling loose food must give allergen information for every item containing any of the 14 allergens, in writing, or verbally with a clearly visible notice saying how to get it.
Does my scale need to be approved?
Scales used to sell goods by weight must be approved for trade use. The scale in our trade kit carries a note to check that before using it in a shop.
Sources
- Allergen guidance for food businesses, Food Standards Agency, GOV.UK
- Metrication in the United Kingdom, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- Where to buyWhere to buy wholesale pick and mixBuy wholesale pick and mix from sweeties.net: every sweet in 3 kg bulk bags, trade prices shown without VAT, and allergen details on each bag.
- Diet, allergens and labelsPick and mix and allergiesLoose sweets bring extra allergy risks, from shared scoops to sweets side by side. What sellers must tell you, and the questions to ask before you buy.
- Stories, heists and recordsThe pick and mix hygiene debateIs pick and mix clean? Students found bacteria on scoops in 2010, Covid rules emptied cinema sweet counters in 2020, and allergies raise questions too.
- Questions people askWhy is pick and mix sold by weight?Because every scoop is different. Weighing is the fair way to price a mix of sweets of all sizes, and UK law says loose goods must be weighed in metric.
- Questions people askWhat is a sweet cart?A sweet cart is a decorated cart or stand of sweets in jars, where guests at weddings and parties scoop their own. What hire includes and costs.
- Where to buyWhere to buy sweet jarsOur trade section sells traditional glass sweet jars with lids, for shop display and for gifts. The history of the sweet shop jar, and how to use one well.