Choose 100% apple juice if guests want an apple-only drink; choose a lower-sugar apple-based drink if labelled sugars matter more and its other ingredients suit them. For example, Sainsbury's lists 13.0g sugars per 150ml for its 100% not-from-concentrate apple juice, against 3.9g for its no-added-sugar apple-and-pear juice drink, which contains 25% fruit juice and sweeteners. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to one small 150ml glass a day and having them with a meal.
If some guests want 100% apple juice while others prefer a drink with less labelled sugar, put the two types in clearly distinguishable containers. Check the ingredients of the lower-sugar option if guests avoid particular sweeteners.
Compare the “of which sugars” figures at the same serving size, then read the ingredients. Sainsbury's labels its 100% not-from-concentrate apple juice at 13.0g sugars per 150ml and its no-added-sugar apple-and-pear juice drink at 3.9g per 150ml; they have different juice contents.
Choose a pack size you can store and use within its own instructions after opening. Those instructions differ: Marks & Spencer says to drink its Cloudy Apple Juice within 24 hours of opening, while Asda specifies four days for its Apple Juice from Concentrate.
Decide whether the drink needs to be 100% apple juice before comparing sugars on a like-for-like serving basis. Then plan how much to pour and where opened packs will be kept.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Drink type | Read the product name, juice percentage and ingredients. Sainsbury's lists 100% apple juice for its not-from-concentrate product, but 20% apple juice and 5% pear juice for its no-added-sugar apple-and-pear drink. | I want an apple-only juice for some guests, but an apple-based juice drink may suit others who accept a different composition. |
| Sugars and sweeteners | Compare “of which sugars” using the same volume, and check for named sweeteners. Sainsbury's lists 13.0g sugars per 150ml for its 100% not-from-concentrate juice and 3.9g for its apple-and-pear drink; the latter contains acesulfame K and sucralose. | When labelled sugars matter, I need the figure for the actual drink I am serving. “No added sugar” alone does not tell me that it is sugar-free. |
| Serving size | The NHS advises a maximum of one small 150ml glass of fruit juice or smoothies a day, taken with a meal. Check the volume of a can or carton before using it as one serving. | I would like to pour juice alongside the BBQ food without assuming that a larger pack changes the suggested individual portion. |
| Storage | Check the exact pack's chilled-storage and after-opening instructions, then match the size to fridge space and expected use. Marks & Spencer specifies 24 hours after opening for its Cloudy Apple Juice; Asda specifies four days for its Apple Juice from Concentrate. | For advance BBQ preparation, I need somewhere to keep opened drinks as directed and a pack size the group can use in time. |
A drink can still contain sugars when none has been added. Sainsbury's no-added-sugar apple-and-pear juice drink lists 3.9g sugars per 150ml and contains water, fruit juice and sweeteners; it is not the same product type as 100% apple juice.
Compare the sugars line and ingredients together, using the same serving size for each drink.
A family-size carton holds several servings, but pack size does not change the NHS advice to limit fruit juice and smoothies to one small 150ml glass a day with a meal.
Plan 150ml pours for fruit juice and offer water alongside the drinks.
Opened-life instructions vary by product. Marks & Spencer says to drink its Cloudy Apple Juice within 24 hours of opening, while Asda says to refrigerate its Apple Juice from Concentrate and use it within four days.
Before choosing a large pack, check its label against your fridge space and when guests will drink it.
A partly used pack may go to waste if it cannot be stored or finished as its label directs.
“Pressed” and “not from concentrate” describe the juice, not a lower sugar figure. Sainsbury's lists 13.0g sugars per 150ml for its not-from-concentrate apple juice; Tropicana and Copella each list 15g per 150ml for the cited pressed juices.
Choose a style of juice you want, then compare the nutrition panels of the exact products.
These product examples help distinguish juice types and label details; they do not imply that every brand or retailer offers the same range on Joybuy.
Tropicana describes its Orchard Apple product as 100% pressed juice, not from concentrate.
Copella's Cloudy Apple is a pressed apple juice for shoppers who want a cloudy style.
Sainsbury's provides examples of both 100% apple juice and a no-added-sugar apple-and-pear juice drink.
Asda lists a 1L Apple Juice from Concentrate made with apple juice from concentrate and citric acid.
M&S lists a not-from-concentrate Cloudy Apple Juice and a separate clear Apple Juice.
Tesco's cited listing is for a 1.5L Tropicana pressed apple juice carton, rather than a Tesco own-label product.
These options include apple juice, apple-and-pear fruit water and apple-flavoured drinks for a BBQ. Read each label before treating them as the same type of drink.
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For guests who want apple juice in a lightly sparkling format, this pack contains six 250ml cans. A can is larger than the NHS's suggested 150ml fruit-juice portion, so use a smaller glass when following that guidance.
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A 1L apple juice pack allows you to pour individual servings for a group. Compare the sugars and ingredients on the pack, and check its storage instructions before opening it for the BBQ.
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This 24-can apple-flavoured option is for guests considering a sugar-free drink rather than 100% apple juice. Check its juice content and sweeteners on the label; each can is 330ml.
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Three 200ml cartons offer an apple-and-pear option rather than apple-only juice. If guests are comparing sugars, read the nutrition label using the same volume basis as the other drinks.
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This individual 248ml carton is an apple juice drink option for serving at a gathering. Check its juice percentage, ingredients and sugars rather than assuming a juice drink is 100% apple juice.
No. Sainsbury's no-added-sugar apple-and-pear juice drink lists 3.9g sugars per 150ml. Check the “of which sugars” figure even when the front of the pack says no sugar has been added.
Use 150ml when planning an individual fruit-juice serving. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a maximum of one small 150ml glass a day and having it with a meal; offer water alongside it at the BBQ.
Not necessarily: the wording describes how the juice is made, not its sugar content. Sainsbury's lists 13.0g sugars per 150ml for its not-from-concentrate apple juice, while Tropicana and Copella each list 15g per 150ml for the cited pressed juices. Compare the exact nutrition panels.
Follow the instructions on the pack you buy and make room to refrigerate it where directed. Marks & Spencer says to drink its Cloudy Apple Juice within 24 hours of opening; Asda specifies four days for its Apple Juice from Concentrate. Do not apply one product's opened-life to another.
Check the juice percentage and ingredients rather than relying on the word “apple”. Sainsbury's not-from-concentrate apple juice is 100% juice, while its no-added-sugar apple-and-pear juice drink contains 20% apple juice, 5% pear juice and sweeteners.