For a UK hand-luggage journey, do not rely on taking a pre-security multipack of 250ml or 330ml drinks through screening: GOV.UK says containers over 100ml cannot pass through security at most airports, even when partly full. If you need orange juice, Sainsbury’s lists a Tropicana multipack of four 250ml bottles rather than cans, a format to consider for landside use or before screening. If cans matter more than plain orange juice, check the drink description and consider buying after security for the flight, allowing for any further screening during a transfer.
If the drink is for your flight, its container size matters before you reach security. GOV.UK says containers over 100ml cannot pass through screening at most UK airports, even when partly full; check your departure and transfer airports before travelling.
For a staff room, meeting or food counter outside security, separate servings may be more useful than one large container. Sainsbury’s lists Tropicana orange juice in four 250ml bottles; check its storage instructions and whether that serving size suits the occasion.
A canned orange-flavoured drink is not necessarily orange juice. For example, Tesco Groceries describes its Fanta Orange 6 x 330ml pack as a sparkling orange fruit drink containing 5% orange juice. Check the description of the exact pack you choose.
Decide where the drink will be consumed before choosing between plain orange juice and an orange-flavoured drink, then check the pack and serving size.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Security screening | Check each container’s volume, not how much drink remains in it. GOV.UK says containers over 100ml cannot pass through security at most UK airports; check departure and transfer airport rules. | If I’m carrying the drink in hand luggage, I need to know whether it can pass screening or whether I should buy it afterwards. |
| Drink type | Read the product description and juice percentage. Sainsbury’s describes Tropicana’s 4 x 250ml bottled pack as 100% pure squeezed orange juice; Tesco Groceries describes its Fanta Orange 6 x 330ml cans as a sparkling drink with 5% orange juice. | Do I need plain orange juice, or would an orange-flavoured fizzy drink meet the brief? |
| Servings | Compare the number and size of individual containers with the people being served. For fruit juice and smoothies, the NHS Eatwell Guide advises a combined limit of no more than 150ml a day. | For a group, I want enough separate servings without assuming that a 250ml juice bottle matches the NHS’s daily guidance. |
| Storage and timing | Follow the exact pack’s storage instructions and confirm where it will be kept before serving. If buying after security, check what is offered at the relevant terminal rather than relying on a particular pack being there. | Will the drink be served landside, kept for staff use or bought for the flight? |
A 250ml bottle or 330ml can exceeds the container limit GOV.UK says applies at most UK airport security checkpoints, even when partly full.
Plan to drink it before screening or buy a drink after security. Check the rules at your departure airport and any airport where you will transfer.
The packaging can describe a different drink. Tesco Groceries lists its Fanta Orange 6 x 330ml pack as a sparkling orange fruit drink with 5% orange juice, while Sainsbury’s describes the bottled Tropicana multipack as 100% pure squeezed orange juice.
Read the exact product description and juice-content information before treating one format as a substitute for the other.
The NHS Eatwell Guide advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined total of no more than 150ml a day. Each bottle in Sainsbury’s listed Tropicana multipack contains 250ml.
Consider the intended serving size when choosing a pack for individuals or a group.
These examples distinguish juice from orange-flavoured drinks and bottles from cans; a retailer listing does not establish what a particular airport shop stocks.
Sainsbury’s lists Tropicana Pure Smooth Orange Fruit Juice as a multipack of four 250ml bottles.
Tesco Groceries lists 200ml orange-juice products, including Growers Harvest Orange Juice From Concentrate 6 x 200ml.
Sainsbury’s listings show bottled Tropicana orange juice alongside canned orange-flavoured drinks such as Fanta and Tango.
The M&S orange-juice range lists bottles, including 350ml, 1L and 1.75L formats.
These multipacks suit a search for orange-flavoured cans for landside use. They are soft drinks, not substitutes for plain orange juice; their stated container sizes also exceed the limit GOV.UK says applies at most UK airport security checkpoints.
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For landside group service when orange-and-passion-fruit soft-drink cans are acceptable instead of plain orange juice. The pack has twelve 250ml cans; each container exceeds the limit GOV.UK says applies at most UK airport security checkpoints.
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For landside service when an orange-flavoured soft drink, rather than plain orange juice, meets the brief. The pack has eight 330ml cans; each container exceeds the limit GOV.UK says applies at most UK airport security checkpoints.
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For a larger landside group when orange-flavoured fizzy drinks are wanted instead of plain orange juice. The pack has twenty-four 330ml cans; each container exceeds the limit GOV.UK says applies at most UK airport security checkpoints.
Not at most UK airports: GOV.UK says liquids in containers over 100ml cannot pass through security even when partly full. Rules have changed at some airports, so check your departure airport and any transfer airport before travelling.
Buying after departure security avoids taking that purchase through the departure checkpoint. If your journey involves another security check, confirm the rules at the transfer airport before relying on the drink travelling with you.
No. Check the exact product description and juice percentage: Tesco Groceries describes its Fanta Orange 6 x 330ml pack as a sparkling orange fruit drink with 5% orange juice, whereas Sainsbury’s describes its bottled Tropicana multipack as 100% pure squeezed orange juice.
A 250ml bottle is larger than the NHS Eatwell Guide’s advised combined daily limit of 150ml for fruit juice and smoothies. That is dietary guidance, separate from airport-security container rules.
Match the number and size of servings to the group, and follow the exact pack’s storage instructions until service. If you need cans specifically, check the drink description too: a canned orange-flavoured soft drink is not automatically plain orange juice.