Families packing juice regularly
A 150ml individual carton gives you a defined serving. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day and having them at mealtimes.
Who is each format for?
Families looking specifically for cans
Check whether a can contains 100% apple juice or a sparkling drink made partly with apple juice and water. Compare sugars per whole can as well as pack size.
Families checking school rules
Ask the individual school whether it accepts cans and fizzy drinks in home-packed lunches. Department for Education guidance on school food in England concerns food and drink provided in state-funded schools; it does not establish one packed-lunch container rule for every school.
What should you check before buying?
Start with the serving you intend to pack, then compare the drink inside each container and check the school’s policy.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Serving size | Check millilitres per container and any other juice or smoothies planned that day. The NHS advises a combined daily limit of 150ml for fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies, consumed at mealtimes. | I want one lunchbox serving that is straightforward to account for. A 150ml carton matches that NHS amount; a 250ml can of 100% juice exceeds it. |
| Juice content | Read the ingredients and apple-juice percentage. ASDA’s 150ml cartons contain apple juice from concentrate; Appletiser’s 250ml cans list 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate, while Cawston Press Cloudy Apple cans list 49% pressed apple juice. | If I choose a can, I want to know whether it is apple juice or a sparkling drink made partly with apple juice and water. |
| Sugars per container | Compare the sugars figure for the whole carton or can, not just per 100ml. ASDA Groceries lists 17g per 150ml carton; its Appletiser listing gives 26g per 250ml can. | When packs have different serving sizes, I need figures that describe what will actually go into the lunchbox. |
| School acceptance | Check the school’s current packed-lunch policy for cans and fizzy drinks. Department for Education guidance for food provided in state-funded schools in England does not settle what an individual school accepts from home. | I would check the school’s rules before buying a multipack of sparkling cans. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming every apple-branded can is 100% juice
A sparkling apple drink can contain both juice and water. Cawston Press Cloudy Apple lists 49% pressed apple juice, whereas Appletiser lists 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate.
Read the juice percentage and ingredients, then compare sugars per whole can. “No added sugar” does not mean a drink contains no sugars.
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Treating a 250ml juice can as a 150ml serving
One 250ml can of 100% apple juice is larger than the NHS’s advised combined daily 150ml amount for fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies.
For a regular packed-lunch juice, consider an individual 150ml carton and account for other juice or smoothies consumed that day.
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Assuming national school-food guidance permits cans from home
Department for Education guidance covers food and drink provided in state-funded schools in England. It does not establish a universal rule for home-packed cans.
Check the individual school’s packed-lunch policy for containers and fizzy drinks before choosing a canned multipack.
Brand and product-line references
Appletiser
Its sparkling apple juice is listed by ASDA Groceries as a 6 × 250ml can multipack made from 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate.
- The can format meets a preference for a canned multipack.
- Each 250ml can contains 26g sugars and exceeds the NHS’s advised combined daily 150ml amount for juice and smoothies.
Cawston Press
Sainsbury’s lists Cloudy Apple as a 4 × 250ml sparkling can multipack containing 49% pressed apple juice and sparkling water.
- The label distinguishes this partly apple-juice drink from a 100% juice can.
- It is still a 250ml carbonated drink, so check the school’s packed-lunch policy.
ASDA
ASDA Groceries lists an own-label 3 × 150ml apple juice from concentrate multipack.
- Each individual carton is 150ml and lists 17g sugars.
- Cartons do not meet a specific preference for cans.
Tropicana
Sainsbury’s lists a 1.8L Orchard Apple Juice pack containing twelve 150ml servings.
- A larger bottle allows a 150ml portion to be measured at home.
- It is not an individually packed carton or can; a lunchbox serving needs a separate suitable container.
Apple juice cans on Joybuy
This canned option is relevant if you want a multipack of 100% sparkling apple juice. For a school packed lunch, consider its 250ml serving alongside NHS juice guidance and the school’s rules on cans and fizzy drinks.
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Appletiser Lightly Sparkling 100% Apple Juice, 6 × 250ml
This multipack suits a preference for sparkling apple juice in cans, provided the school accepts the format.
The drink is listed as 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate, with 26g sugars per 250ml can.
One can exceeds the NHS’s advised combined daily 150ml amount for fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies.
Questions about school packed lunches
Is a 250ml can of 100% apple juice a suitable everyday lunch serving?
A 250ml can exceeds the NHS’s advised combined daily 150ml amount for fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies. If you are packing juice regularly, a 150ml carton makes that amount easier to follow; the NHS also advises having juice at mealtimes.
Is a sparkling apple drink with no added sugar the same as 100% apple juice?
No. Sainsbury’s lists Cawston Press Cloudy Apple as a sparkling drink with 49% pressed apple juice and water, while ASDA Groceries lists Appletiser as 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate. Check the ingredients and sugars per container; “no added sugar” does not mean sugar-free.
Do England’s school-food rules decide whether packed lunches can contain cans?
No universal home-packed-lunch can rule follows from the cited Department for Education guidance. It concerns food and drink provided in state-funded schools in England, so check the individual school’s policy on cans and fizzy drinks brought from home.
How does a 150ml carton differ from a larger bottle for packing lunch?
A sealed 150ml carton provides a defined individual serving. ASDA Groceries lists its apple juice as 3 × 150ml cartons, while Sainsbury’s lists twelve 150ml servings in Tropicana’s 1.8L bottle; serving from the bottle requires measuring and a separate suitable lunchbox container.