Choose 100% apple juice if you want juice itself and are happy to keep to a 150ml portion with a meal. If lower sugar matters more than buying pure juice, compare the sugars per 100ml in no-added-sugar apple drinks or prepared squash; they are different products, and no added sugar does not mean sugar-free. If this first shop is for a baby, NHS guidance says children under 12 months do not need juice.
If you want an apple-flavoured drink with less sugar than the pure juices you are considering, compare the nutrition panels on the same per-100ml basis. A no-added-sugar drink may still contain sugars and is not necessarily 100% juice.
If you specifically want apple juice, check that the pack says 100% juice. NHS guidance treats sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars and advises keeping fruit juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day, with meals.
If the first food shop is for an infant, the drink decision changes. The NHS says children under 12 months do not need fruit juice or smoothies; breast milk or first infant formula remains the appropriate milk feed during the first year.
Choose it when: You want juice rather than an apple-flavoured soft drink or squash.
Bear in mind: According to the NHS, sugars in unsweetened fruit juice count as free sugars, even when no sugar has been added.
Choose it when: The sugar level in the drink you will consume matters more to you than buying 100% juice.
Bear in mind: Fruit-juice content, sweeteners and, for squash, dilution instructions can differ from those of pure juice.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars | Compare total sugars per 100ml on the same prepared or ready-to-drink basis. Read no added sugar and sugar-free as different claims. | I want to compare the sugar in what I will actually drink, rather than rely on the wording on the front of the pack. |
| Drink type | Check whether the pack describes 100% juice, a juice drink, squash or a soft drink. For alternatives, read the fruit-juice percentage and ingredients. | Pure apple juice matters to me, or I am comfortable choosing a different apple-flavoured drink after checking what it contains. |
| Juice portion | The NHS advises a combined limit of 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies a day, taken with meals. Check sugars per serving as well as per 100ml. | If I buy juice, I want to know how much I am pouring; a larger glass does not count as another 5 A Day portion. |
| Young children | Check the child’s age and any product-specific warnings. The NHS says children under 12 months do not need juice or smoothies. | If this shop is for a baby, I need to choose drinks using age-specific guidance rather than the general household juice choice. |
A drink can have no added sugar and still contain sugars from its ingredients. Copella lists 10g sugars per 100ml for its Cloudy Apple juice.
Compare total sugars per 100ml and check whether you are buying juice, a juice drink or squash.
According to the NHS, fruit juice and smoothies count as a maximum of one 5 A Day portion, and sugars in unsweetened juice count as free sugars.
If you choose juice, measure a 150ml serving and have it with a meal.
Squash must be diluted as directed, so a figure for the concentrate is not directly comparable with a figure for a prepared drink. Sainsbury’s describes its No Added Sugar Apple High Juice Squash as containing 50% fruit juice and a sweetener.
Check the dilution instructions, fruit-juice percentage, ingredients and basis of the nutrition figures.
The NHS says children under 12 months do not need fruit juice or smoothies. That is a different decision from buying juice for an adult household.
For an infant’s shop, follow age-specific NHS drinks guidance and check any warnings on the individual product.
These examples show why the product description and nutrition panel matter more than the brand name alone.
Tropicana UK describes Orchard Apple as 100% pressed, not-from-concentrate juice.
Copella Cloudy Apple is a cloudy apple-juice option.
Tesco lists Pure Apple Juice separately from Growers Harvest No Added Sugar Apple Juice Drink.
Sainsbury’s No Added Sugar Apple High Juice Squash is a concentrate to prepare as directed, not a bottle of pure apple juice.
ASDA Apple Juice is an own-label apple juice from concentrate.
M&S lists a long-life Apple Juice for shoppers who need an unopened carton that can be stored in a cupboard.
These are apple-flavoured drinks and fruit water to consider alongside the pure-juice decision. They are not a selection of 100% apple juices or diluted apple squashes; check each product’s category and nutrition panel against what you want to buy.
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An apple-flavoured carbonated soft drink rather than 100% apple juice. If you are comparing it with juice, read the ingredients and sugars per 100ml on the pack.
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This is a 24-can pack of carbonated apple-flavoured soft drink, not pure apple juice. It contains more individual cans than the eight-can Tango pack; check the ingredients and nutrition panel for the drink itself.
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A blackcurrant-and-apple drink rather than pure apple juice. The product listing warns that its caps contain small parts and says it is unsuitable for children under 36 months.
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An apple-and-pear fruit water rather than 100% apple juice. If sugar is your deciding factor, compare its per-100ml nutrition figure with the juices or other drinks you are considering.
The pure juice examples here are not sugar-free: Copella lists 10g sugars per 100ml for Cloudy Apple. If you want a product labelled sugar-free, check an apple-flavoured drink’s nutrition panel and do not assume it is 100% juice.
No. A no-added-sugar drink can still contain sugars from its ingredients. Check total sugars per 100ml and, for squash, whether the figure describes the concentrate or the prepared drink.
According to the NHS, fruit juice and smoothies count as a maximum of one 5 A Day portion, even if you drink more. Its guidance is to limit them to a combined 150ml a day and have them with meals; sugars in unsweetened fruit juice count as free sugars.
The NHS says children under 12 months do not need fruit juice or smoothies. Breast milk or first infant formula remains the appropriate milk feed during the first year, so a baby’s first food shop calls for age-specific drinks guidance rather than the general apple-juice choice.
Follow the instructions on the individual pack. For example, M&S says to refrigerate its 1L Apple Juice and consume it within four days of opening; check the carton you buy for its own storage instructions.