The invention has application to dispensing dessert products from pre-filled containers. The container (11) has an outlet (12A) and a moveable portion (13) which is engageable to reduce the container internal volume and cause product to be extruded from an outlet. The container is located on a support (15) during dispensing and there are elements (48–51, 53) for detecting whether the product is extrudable and/or whether dispensing is complete. In addition, there is a detector (35–37) for detecting a container in a discharge position on the support.