FRANKFURT -- Dried fruits can provide an important vitamin boost during the winter months, a German consumer organization advises.

They can be eaten "pure", but also pep up meat dishes, soups and sweet dishes, biscuits or jams, according to a publication " **** Fruit of the Season ****" by the Hesse Consumer Office in Frankfurt.

Dried fruit contains the nutrients of fresh fruit in concentrated form, the consumer experts say. Dried prunes contain five times more pro-Vitamin-A than fresh prunes. They also have a high roughage content, and so are good for the digestion. Their natural sweetness makes them a good alternative to refined sugar.

As well as raisins and prunes, apples, pears and peaches are also good to eat in dried form. Consumers can easily dry fruits themselves at home in the oven. Shop-bought dried fruits are generally imported from California, Turkey or Greece.

Consumer experts advise buyers to look for the label "unsulphurized" on the packets. Sulphur can be harmful for asthmatics and can trigger nausea and headaches in some people, DPA reported.