Travellers reducing sugar
If apple flavour matters more than buying pure juice, compare the sugars per 100ml in fruit drinks and apple-flavoured soft drinks. Check the ingredients too, particularly if you prefer to avoid sweeteners.
Who is choosing an airport apple drink?
Travellers who want apple juice
If you want a juice product rather than an apple-flavoured soft drink, check the juice percentage and portion size. Diabetes UK explains that sugars in fruit juice count as free sugars, even when no sugar is added.
Passengers travelling with hand luggage
If you plan to carry a drink through security, check the container size and your airports’ current rules. GOV.UK says containers over 100ml cannot pass security at most UK airports, even when partly full; arrangements differ at some airports.
What should you compare?
100% apple juice
Choose it when: You specifically want apple juice and can plan for a small portion with a meal, in line with NHS guidance.
Bear in mind: No added sugar does not mean sugar-free: Tropicana Orchard Apple and Copella Cloudy Apple each list 10g sugars per 100ml on their product pages.
Apple-flavoured soft drink
Choose it when: A lower listed sugar content matters more to you than drinking pure juice.
Bear in mind: Formulations vary. Tesco describes Apple Zero as a sweetened carbonated soft drink containing 4% apple juice from concentrate, rather than as apple juice.
Apple-and-fruit water
Choose it when: You want a fruit-containing drink but do not require 100% apple juice.
Bear in mind: Joybuy lists Cawston Press Apple & Pear Fruit Water at 6.4g sugars per 100ml. It contains apple juice and pear purée, so it is neither pure apple juice nor sugar-free.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars | Compare the sugars per 100ml, then consider the amount you will drink. Check whether a no-added-sugar product still lists sugars. | I want to reduce sugar without mistaking fruit sugars in juice for a sugar-free drink. |
| Drink type | Read the product description, juice percentage and sweetener ingredients. Tesco Apple Zero, for example, is labelled a carbonated apple-flavoured soft drink with sweeteners and 4% apple juice from concentrate. | Apple flavour may be enough for me, or I may specifically want juice made from apples. Those are different choices. |
| Juice portion | Check the container size against the portion you intend to drink. The NHS advises no more than one small 150ml glass of fruit juice or smoothies a day, with a meal. | When I choose apple juice with airport food, I want the serving size to be clear rather than treating a whole bottle as one small glass. |
| Security | Check your departure and transfer airports’ liquid rules before packing a drink. GOV.UK says containers over 100ml cannot pass security at most UK airports, even if partly full. | With hand luggage, I need to know whether to pack a permitted container or look for a drink after security. |
What can catch you out?
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Reading ‘no added sugar’ as ‘sugar-free’
Apple juice still contains sugars from fruit. Tropicana Orchard Apple and Copella Cloudy Apple each list 10g sugars per 100ml, despite being juice products rather than drinks with added sugar.
Compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100ml and consider how much you expect to drink.
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Assuming an apple-flavoured soft drink is apple juice
A lower-sugar soft drink can differ substantially in ingredients. Tesco Apple Zero is labelled a carbonated drink with sweeteners and 4% apple juice from concentrate.
Check the product category, juice percentage and sweeteners before deciding whether it meets your preference for juice or for apple flavour.
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Packing a large drink for security
At most UK airports, a drink in a container over 100ml cannot pass security in hand luggage, even if the container is partly full, according to GOV.UK.
Check the rules at your departure and transfer airports before packing a drink, or plan to get one after security.
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Using juice as the main drink for a flight
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a small 150ml glass a day, with a meal, because of their sugar content.
If you choose juice with airport food, consider its portion separately from what you plan to drink during the rest of the journey.
Brand and retailer references
These examples show why it is worth checking the exact drink and its label rather than relying on a brand name alone.
Tropicana
Orchard Apple is a 100% pressed, not-from-concentrate apple juice for shoppers who want juice rather than an apple-flavoured soft drink.
- Tropicana lists 10g sugars per 100ml and 15g per 150ml serving for Orchard Apple.
- Its fruit sugars mean it is not a sugar-free choice.
Copella
Cloudy Apple is a pressed apple-juice option for shoppers who prefer cloudy juice.
- Copella lists 10g sugars per 100ml and 15g per 150ml serving for Cloudy Apple.
- Choosing pressed juice does not remove the need to consider its sugars and portion size.
Tesco
Tesco’s examples span different drink types, including 100% apple juice and an apple-flavoured soft drink.
- Tesco labels Apple Zero a no-added-sugar carbonated soft drink with sweeteners and lists 0.4g sugars per 100ml.
- Its Organic Apple Juice is a different product: Tesco lists 100% apple juice from concentrate and 10.3g sugars per 100ml. Check the exact label rather than applying one product’s figures to the other.
M&S
M&S lists a 200ml apple juice for shoppers considering a single carton.
- The M&S nutrition information lists 10.3g sugars per 100g for this apple juice.
- A 200ml carton exceeds the container limit applied at most UK airport security points, according to GOV.UK; check your airport’s rules before carrying it in hand luggage.
Cawston Press
Apple & Pear Fruit Water is an apple-and-pear drink, not pure apple juice.
- The Joybuy product information lists 54% pressed apple juice, water and 6% pear purée, with 6.4g sugars per 100ml.
- It still contains sugars, so its no-added-sugar description should not be read as sugar-free.
Joybuy drink options
These options cover apple-flavoured soft drinks, an apple-and-pear fruit water and sparkling apple juice. Compare the drink type and pack size with your food choice and airport-security plans.
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Tango Sugar Free Apple 8 x 330ml
Consider this apple-flavoured option if you are choosing a sugar-free drink rather than apple juice. Check its ingredient list if sweeteners or juice content matter to you; a 330ml can exceeds the container limit at most UK airport security points.
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Cawston Press Apple & Pear Fruit Water 3 x 200ml
For a fruit-containing drink rather than pure apple juice, Joybuy lists 54% pressed apple juice, water and 6% pear purée, with 6.4g sugars per 100ml. It is not sugar-free. Each 200ml carton exceeds the container limit at most UK airport security points.
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Fruit Shoot Black & Apple No Added Sugar 8 x 200ml
Consider this if an apple-and-blackcurrant drink suits you better than pure apple juice. ‘No added sugar’ does not by itself tell you the total sugars, so check the nutrition label and ingredients. A 200ml bottle exceeds the container limit at most UK airport security points.
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Appletiser 100% Apple Juice Lightly Sparkling 6 x 250ml
Consider this if you want sparkling apple juice rather than an apple-flavoured soft drink. Check the sugars and the amount you intend to drink: the NHS advises limiting fruit juice to 150ml a day, with a meal. A 250ml can exceeds the container limit at most UK airport security points.
Common questions
Is apple juice sugar-free if it has no added sugar?
No. Apple juice contains sugars from fruit. Tropicana lists 10g sugars per 100ml for Orchard Apple, and Copella lists the same amount for Cloudy Apple; check the figure for the particular juice and portion you choose.
How much fruit juice does the NHS advise?
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a maximum of one small 150ml glass a day and having it with a meal because of their sugar content.
Is an apple-flavoured soft drink the same as apple juice?
No. Tesco describes Apple Zero as a carbonated apple-flavoured soft drink with sweeteners and 4% apple juice from concentrate. By contrast, Tropicana labels Orchard Apple as 100% pressed apple juice. Check the exact product description and ingredients.
Can I take a 200ml carton of apple juice through UK airport security?
Not through security at most UK airports: GOV.UK says liquids in containers over 100ml are not permitted, even if partly full. Check the current rules at your departure and transfer airports, as arrangements differ at some airports.