Choose a no-added-sugar juice drink if a lower labelled sugar figure per breakfast glass matters more to you than 100% apple content, but check its fruit percentage and sweeteners: Sainsbury's Apple & Pear Juice Drink lists 3.9g sugars per 150ml and contains two sweeteners. If you want 100% pressed apple juice, Tropicana Orchard Apple lists apple juice and ascorbic acid as ingredients, but also lists 15g sugars per 150ml. The NHS counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars and advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day, with meals.
If the number on the nutrition panel guides your breakfast choice, compare like-sized servings as well as the front-of-pack wording. Sainsbury's lists 3.9g sugars per 150ml for its apple-and-pear juice drink; Tropicana lists 15g per 150ml for Orchard Apple. They are different types of drink, not interchangeable versions of apple juice.
No added sugar and no artificial sweeteners are separate label claims. Sainsbury's no-added-sugar apple-and-pear drink contains acesulfame K and sucralose, while M&S labels its Apple and Blackcurrant Juice Drink as containing no artificial sweeteners. Check the ingredient list alongside the claim that matters to you.
Portion size and the time a carton keeps after opening both matter when juice is part of a weekday routine. The NHS advises a combined maximum of 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies a day, with meals; follow each product's storage instructions when choosing a pack size.
Decide whether you want 100% apple juice or an apple-based juice drink, then compare sugars on a common serving basis, ingredients and the amount your household will use after opening.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars per glass | Read sugars per 100ml and per serving, comparing the same volume where possible. Sainsbury's lists 3.9g per 150ml for its apple-and-pear drink; Tropicana lists 15g per 150ml for Orchard Apple. | I want to know how much sugar the glass I pour contains, rather than assuming that ‘no added sugar’ means sugar-free. |
| Fruit content | Check whether the name says juice or juice drink, then read the fruit percentages. Sainsbury's lists 20% apple juice and 5% pear juice from concentrate; Tropicana describes Orchard Apple as 100% pressed apple juice. | Apple-only juice matters to me more than choosing a diluted drink by its sugar figure alone. |
| Sweeteners | Read both the label claim and ingredients. Sainsbury's apple-and-pear drink lists acesulfame K and sucralose; M&S labels its Apple and Blackcurrant Juice Drink as having no artificial sweeteners. | If I avoid artificial sweeteners, I need to check for them separately from checking whether sugar was added. |
| Serving size | Check the volume of a glass or can. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined maximum of 150ml a day and having them with meals. | I want a breakfast portion I can measure without treating a whole container as one recommended serving. |
| After opening | Read the refrigeration and use-by-opening instructions on the pack. Sainsbury's says to use its 1L apple-and-pear drink within four days of opening; the M&S apple-and-blackcurrant drink has a 24-hour opened-life instruction. | Our household needs a carton size we can use within its stated window. |
A no-added-sugar drink can still list sugars on its nutrition panel. The NHS also counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars.
Compare the sugars in the portion you plan to pour. For fruit juice and smoothies, the NHS advises a combined maximum of 150ml a day, with meals.
Sainsbury's apple-and-pear juice drink contains water, 25% combined fruit juice and sweeteners. Tropicana Orchard Apple is 100% pressed apple juice, but lists more sugars per 150ml than that particular juice drink.
Choose the drink type as well as the sugar figure: read the fruit percentages and ingredients if apple-only juice or avoiding sweeteners is important to you.
Storage instructions can change which pack size works for weekday breakfasts: the Sainsbury's drink specifies four days after opening, while the M&S apple-and-blackcurrant drink specifies 24 hours.
Match the carton to the servings you expect to pour, refrigerate it as instructed and follow the time stated on its pack.
These named products and listings illustrate different label checks; a brand name alone does not establish a drink's ingredients or sugar content.
Its No Added Sugar Apple & Pear Juice Drink 1L is an example of a diluted, apple-based drink with a stated sugar figure per breakfast serving.
Its Apple and Blackcurrant Juice Drink is labelled no added sugar and no artificial sweeteners.
Orchard Apple is a 100% pressed, not-from-concentrate apple-juice example rather than a diluted no-added-sugar juice drink.
Tesco Groceries lists plain Copella Apple Juice in 300ml, 900ml and 1.35L formats.
Tesco Groceries lists both a Tesco 100% Pressed Apple Juice and a Growers Harvest No Added Sugar Apple Juice Drink in its apple-drink ranges.
These options cover an apple-and-pear fruit water labelled no added sugar and a sparkling 100% apple juice. Their drink types, sugar figures and pack sizes call for different breakfast checks.
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This no-added-sugar fruit water suits a comparison focused on an apple-led drink without artificial sweeteners, rather than 100% apple juice.
The product description lists 54% pressed apple juice, 6% pear purée and 6.4g sugars per 100ml. Check the carton's instructions if you will not finish one after opening.
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This sparkling, apple-only option is different from both a diluted juice drink and a still, pressed juice.
The product description identifies 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate and lists 10.5g sugars per 100ml and 26g per 250ml serving. Check the current pack if an explicit no-added-sugar claim matters to you. Each can holds 250ml; the NHS advises a combined maximum of 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies a day, with meals.
No. Sainsbury's No Added Sugar Apple & Pear Juice Drink lists 3.9g sugars per 150ml and contains sweeteners. Check the nutrition panel for sugars and the ingredient list for sweeteners; the NHS also counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars.
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined maximum of 150ml a day and having them with meals. Check the container volume before treating a can or carton as a single portion.
Choose by the ingredients and sugar figure that matter to you. Tropicana Orchard Apple is 100% pressed apple juice with no sweeteners listed and has 15g sugars per 150ml; Sainsbury's no-added-sugar apple-and-pear drink has 3.9g per 150ml but contains water, pear juice and sweeteners. These figures describe the named products, not every juice or juice drink.
Follow its own pack instructions rather than applying one time limit to every carton. Sainsbury's says to refrigerate its 1L apple-and-pear drink and use it within four days of opening; the M&S Apple and Blackcurrant Juice Drink has a 24-hour opened-life instruction.