Portion-conscious juice drinkers
If you want apple juice with a meal during TV time, a glass makes a 150ml serving easier to see than drinking from a large carton. The NHS advises no more than one 150ml glass of fruit juice or smoothies a day.
Who is choosing?
Shoppers looking for a sugar-free drink
If you want something to sip over a longer evening, distinguish 100% apple juice from apple-flavoured soft drinks. Check the “of which sugars” value on the nutrition panel, even when the front of the pack says “no added sugar”.
Households sharing a larger carton
A larger pack may suit several people, provided it can be refrigerated and used within its stated period after opening. Compare the pack size and storage instructions before choosing it for an occasional TV night.
What should you check?
Choose the type of drink first, then compare sugar figures on the same per-100ml basis and consider how much you will pour.
Measured apple juice
Choose it when: You want 100% apple juice with a meal and will pour a 150ml glass.
Bear in mind: The NHS limits fruit juice and smoothies to one 150ml glass a day because they are high in sugar.
Apple-based high juice
Choose it when: You prefer a drink made by diluting an apple-based product rather than pouring 100% juice.
Bear in mind: “No added sugar” does not mean zero total sugars; the M&S Apple and Mango High Juice also contains sucralose and sulphites, according to M&S.
Sugar-free soft drink
Choose it when: An apple-flavoured drink for a longer TV session matters more to you than having apple juice.
Bear in mind: It is a different type of drink, so check its ingredients and nutrition panel rather than treating it as a juice serving.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar and serving | Compare “of which sugars” per 100ml and the amount you intend to pour. The NHS advises no more than one 150ml glass of fruit juice or smoothies a day, with a meal. | I want apple juice with my meal, but I do not want a large bottle to turn one glass into several servings. |
| Type of drink | Check whether the pack says 100% juice, high juice or soft drink. For a high juice, read the dilution directions as well as the nutrition panel. | If I mainly want apple flavour while watching TV, a drink other than 100% juice may suit that plan. |
| Ingredients | Read the ingredients and allergen information, including any sweeteners. M&S lists sucralose and sulphites in its Apple and Mango High Juice. | I want to know what is in an apple-based alternative before making it my regular evening drink. |
| Juice style | Check whether a juice is pressed, cloudy or from concentrate; compare sugar figures separately rather than using its style as a substitute for the nutrition panel. | I have a preference for a particular apple-juice style, but I still want to compare what each pack declares. |
| Pack size and storage | Check the volume, refrigeration instructions and use-within period on the exact pack. ASDA says its 1L Apple Juice from Concentrate is best within four days of opening. | A large carton suits us only if we can use the remainder within the period on its label. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming 100% apple juice has no sugar
Tropicana Orchard Apple and Copella Cloudy Apple each list 15g sugars per 150ml. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to one 150ml glass a day because they are high in sugar.
If you choose juice, pour a measured glass and have it with a meal. If avoiding those sugars is the priority, compare sugar-free drinks instead.
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Reading “no added sugar” as “zero sugar”
An apple-based drink can contain sugars from its fruit ingredients even if no sugar has been added.
Read the exact claim alongside “of which sugars” per 100ml so that you compare the total sugar in the drinks you are considering.
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Buying a large carton for one occasional serving
ASDA says its checked 1L apple juice is best within four days of opening; Morrisons gives five days for its checked 1L Apple Juice From Concentrate. A partly used carton may otherwise be wasted.
Check the instructions on the pack you buy and choose a size your household can use within that period.
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Overlooking ingredients in an apple-based alternative
M&S lists sucralose and sulphites in its Apple and Mango High Juice, which is not the same product type as plain 100% apple juice.
Read the current ingredients and allergen statement, particularly if you avoid either ingredient.
Brand and retailer references
Tropicana
Tropicana Orchard Apple is a pressed apple-juice option.
- Tropicana lists 10g sugars per 100ml, or 15g per 150ml, for Orchard Apple.
- It does not meet a need for a sugar-free drink.
Copella
Copella Cloudy Apple offers a cloudy apple-juice style.
- Copella lists 10g sugars and 0.7g fibre per 100ml for Cloudy Apple.
- The checked 1.35L listing at ASDA says to refrigerate it and consume it within four days of opening.
Tesco
Tesco Pure Apple Juice is an apple-juice-from-concentrate option.
- Tesco lists 11.1g sugars per 100ml, or 16.7g per 150ml.
- Compare its nutrition panel with other juices rather than assuming all 100% apple juices declare the same sugar figure.
Asda
ASDA Apple Juice from Concentrate is a 1L carton to consider for shared servings.
- ASDA lists 11g sugars per 100ml, or 17g per 150ml.
- ASDA says to refrigerate it after opening and that it is best within four days.
M&S
M&S lists apple juices as well as Apple and Mango High Juice, a separate type of drink.
- M&S describes Apple and Mango High Juice as made with 50% fruit juice.
- Its listed ingredients include sucralose and sulphites; check the label if either matters to you.
Joybuy product options
These options include apple-flavoured soft drinks for those choosing an alternative to juice, followed by apple juices for a measured serving. Check each pack’s nutrition and ingredients against the type of drink you want.
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Tango Sugar Free Apple 8 × 330ml
An apple-flavoured soft-drink option if you want something other than a 100% apple-juice serving. The pack contains eight 330ml drinks; check the ingredients if you avoid sweeteners.
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Chi Forest Wanglin Green Apple Flavor sparkling water 480ml
A green-apple-flavoured sparkling drink rather than apple juice. If you are choosing it specifically for a sugar-free claim, compare that claim with the full nutrition declaration on the current pack.
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Nature's Marllin Applemango Zero 500ml
A 500ml zero-labelled drink to consider instead of apple juice. Check the current pack for its exact flavour, ingredients and allergen information before choosing it.
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Huiyuan Apple Juice 1L
A 1L apple juice for pouring into a glass rather than drinking directly from the pack. If buying it for an occasional serving, check the sugar declaration and after-opening storage instructions on the pack.
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Appletiser 100% Apple Juice Lightly Sparkling 6 × 250ml
A lightly sparkling apple juice if you prefer that style. Each 250ml pack unit is larger than the NHS’s recommended maximum daily 150ml glass of fruit juice, so measure a serving rather than treating one unit as the suggested portion.
Questions about apple drinks
How much apple juice should I pour for a TV night?
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a maximum of one small 150ml glass a day and having it with a meal. Pouring it into a glass helps you see the amount, particularly when the juice comes in a larger carton.
Does “no added sugar” mean an apple drink has no sugar?
No. An apple-based drink can have no added sugar while still containing sugars from its fruit ingredients. Check “of which sugars” per 100ml on the nutrition panel rather than relying on the front-of-pack wording alone.
How do sugar figures compare in the named apple juices?
Tropicana Orchard Apple and Copella Cloudy Apple each list 15g sugars per 150ml; Tesco Pure Apple Juice lists 16.7g, and ASDA Apple Juice from Concentrate lists 17g for the same volume. Those are figures for the named products, so check the current pack when buying a different variant.
What should I do with a large carton after opening?
Follow that carton’s storage instructions. ASDA says its checked 1L Apple Juice from Concentrate should be refrigerated and is best within four days of opening; Morrisons gives five days for its checked 1L Apple Juice From Concentrate.
What should I check in an apple-based high juice?
Check the fruit content, dilution directions, nutrition panel, ingredients and allergen statement. M&S describes its Apple and Mango High Juice as made with 50% fruit juice and lists sucralose and sulphites, so it should not be treated as plain 100% apple juice.