Workers who want 100% apple juice
If fruit juice without added sweeteners is the deciding factor, start with the ingredients list and a portion you can drink with lunch. Compare the labelled sugars per 100ml as well as the size of the container.
Who is each option for?
Shoppers choosing a ready-to-drink bottle
A sealed, single-serve juice drink can be convenient for a desk lunch. Check sugars per bottle alongside the fruit percentage: Tesco’s Fruit Splash Apple, for example, is a 250ml no-added-sugar drink containing 12% apple juice and sweeteners.
People preparing a reusable bottle
If you can mix a drink before leaving or have water at work, a dilutable apple squash is another format to consider. Follow its preparation directions and check the ingredients and allergen statement; the Sainsbury’s and M&S high-juice examples both list sulphites.
What should you check on the label?
100% apple juice
Choose it when: You want a drink made from apple juice rather than a diluted juice drink.
Bear in mind: Fruit juice still contains sugars. Tropicana UK lists 10g sugars per 100ml for Orchard Apple, despite describing them as naturally occurring.
Ready-to-drink juice drink
Choose it when: A sealed bottle and its labelled sugars per bottle matter more to you than a high fruit-juice percentage.
Bear in mind: ‘No added sugar’ does not rule out sweeteners; Tesco lists acesulfame K and sucralose in Fruit Splash Apple.
Dilutable high-juice squash
Choose it when: You can prepare a drink in a reusable bottle or cup rather than carrying a ready-to-drink pack.
Bear in mind: The Sainsbury’s and M&S apple-based examples are concentrates, not 100% juice, and both list sucralose and sulphites.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit content | Read the product name and ingredients. Check the fruit-juice percentage and whether the drink is juice, a juice drink or a squash. | I want to know whether I am buying apple juice or a drink that contains some apple juice. Tesco lists Fruit Splash Apple as 12% apple juice; Tropicana describes Orchard Apple as 100% pressed juice. |
| Labelled sugars | Compare sugars per 100ml on the same basis, then check the amount in the portion or whole container you expect to drink. Do not use ‘no added sugar’ as a substitute for the nutrition panel. | The amount I will actually pour or carry matters more to me than the front-of-pack wording alone. |
| Juice portion | Check the pack volume against the amount you intend to drink. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day and having juice at mealtimes. | If I take 100% juice with lunch, I can pour a smaller portion rather than assume a large bottle or can is one serving. |
| Lunch format | Choose between a sealed single-serve pack and a drink you will decant or prepare. Check the selected pack’s instructions for storage after opening. | A bottle I can take straight to work is useful when I cannot prepare a drink there; a larger carton or squash suits me only if I can store or mix it as directed. |
| Other ingredients | Read the sweetener names and allergen statement on the exact product. If choosing squash, follow its dilution instructions. | I want to know what is in my drink before putting it in a reusable bottle. The Sainsbury’s and M&S high-juice examples list sulphites, while several cited juice drinks contain sweeteners. |
What can catch you out?
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Reading ‘no added sugar’ as ‘100% juice’
The phrase does not tell you how much fruit juice a drink contains. Tesco’s no-added-sugar Fruit Splash Apple lists 12% apple juice and sweeteners, whereas Tropicana describes Orchard Apple as 100% pressed juice.
Check the product name, fruit percentage, ingredients and sugars per 100ml before comparing packs.
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Drinking a large juice pack as one portion
A portable pack can hold more juice than you intend to have at lunch. The NHS advises a combined limit of 150ml a day for fruit juice and smoothies, taken at mealtimes; Tesco lists Juice Burst Apple Juice in a 500ml bottle.
If you choose fruit juice, pour the portion you plan to drink and follow the pack’s storage instructions for anything left over.
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Treating high-juice squash as ready to drink
The cited Sainsbury’s and M&S apple-based high-juice squashes are concentrates. Both list sulphites, so neither should be assumed to have the same ingredients as a ready-to-drink apple juice.
Check the dilution directions and current allergen statement, and make sure you will have water and a suitable bottle or cup.
Which brand examples help explain the options?
These examples illustrate different label and pack decisions; a brand name alone does not establish the ingredients of every drink it sells.
Tropicana
Orchard Apple is an example of the 100% juice route rather than a diluted juice drink.
- Tropicana UK describes Orchard Apple as 100% pressed juice, not from concentrate.
- Its stated sugars are 10g per 100ml and 15g per 150ml. Check the portion, even though the brand describes the sugars as naturally occurring.
Copella
Cloudy Apple is a chilled-juice option listed in several pack sizes by Sainsbury’s.
- Sainsbury’s lists Cloudy Apple Fruit Juice in 300ml, 900ml and 1.35L packs, giving you different volumes to consider for lunch.
- Check the ingredients and nutrition panel on the particular pack before making a sugar or sweetener comparison.
Tesco
Fruit Splash Apple illustrates how a single-serve no-added-sugar juice drink differs from 100% juice.
- Tesco lists a 250ml bottle with 3.1g sugars per bottle.
- It contains 12% apple juice from concentrate, plus acesulfame K and sucralose.
Sainsbury’s
Its cited apple-based products include a ready-to-drink juice drink and a squash that needs dilution.
- Sainsbury’s lists Apple & Pear Juice Drink at 25% fruit juice and 3.9g sugars per 150ml; its Apple High Juice Squash is a 50% fruit-juice concentrate.
- Both cited products list sweeteners, and the squash lists sulphites. Check which format and ingredients you are buying.
M&S
Apple & Elderflower High Juice is a dilutable option rather than a ready-to-drink apple juice.
- M&S describes this no-added-sugar concentrate as containing 50% fruit juice.
- It lists sucralose and sulphites. Follow the selected pack’s dilution directions and check its allergen statement.
Joybuy options for an office lunch
These options cover two different packed-lunch formats: a lightly sparkling 100% apple juice in cans and a no-added-sugar blackcurrant-and-apple drink in small bottles. Check the fruit content and portion you want rather than treating them as equivalent apple juices.
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Appletiser 100% Apple Juice Lightly Sparkling 6 × 250ml
The individual cans are a ready-to-carry option if you want sparkling apple juice with lunch. The listed ingredient is carbonated apple juice from concentrate (100%); the stated sugars are 10.5g per 100ml and 26g per 250ml can. Each can is larger than the NHS’s 150ml daily guide for fruit juice and smoothies, so consider how much you intend to drink. If an explicit ‘no added sugar’ claim matters to you, check the current pack wording.
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Fruit Shoot Black & Apple No Added Sugar 8 × 200ml
The individual bottles suit a ready-to-drink lunch format if a blackcurrant-and-apple drink meets your needs. The stated sugars are 0.7g per 100ml; the listed fruit-juice ingredients are 6% apple and 2% blackcurrant. It is not pure apple juice and contains sucralose and acesulfame K. Follow the pack’s refrigeration and use instructions after opening.
Frequently asked questions
Does ‘no added sugar’ mean an apple drink is low in sugar?
No. It does not tell you the drink’s total sugars, fruit percentage or whether it contains sweeteners. Tesco lists 3.1g sugars per 250ml bottle for Fruit Splash Apple, which contains sweeteners; Tropicana UK lists 10g sugars per 100ml for its 100% Orchard Apple juice. Check the nutrition panel on the same volume basis when comparing them.
Should I drink a whole 500ml apple juice bottle with lunch?
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day and having juice at mealtimes because juicing releases sugars that can damage teeth. A 500ml bottle, such as the Juice Burst pack listed by Tesco, is therefore larger than that daily juice guide; you can pour a smaller portion and store the rest as the pack directs.
Can a no-added-sugar apple juice drink contain sweeteners?
Yes. Tesco lists acesulfame K and sucralose in Fruit Splash Apple, and Sainsbury’s lists both in its Apple & Pear Juice Drink. If you prefer a drink without those ingredients, read the ingredients list rather than relying on the front-of-pack claim.
Is apple high-juice squash the same as apple juice?
No. The cited Sainsbury’s Apple High Juice and M&S Apple & Elderflower High Juice products are concentrates containing 50% fruit juice, intended for dilution rather than drinking as 100% apple juice. Both list sucralose and sulphites, so check the selected pack’s preparation directions and allergen statement.