Choose 100% apple juice if apple content is your priority, but do not mistake an apple-only juice base for a sugar-free drink. An explicitly no-added-sugar apple-based drink or squash may suit you if you accept a different fruit content or formulation; compare the exact ingredients and the nutrition figures using the same unit. For grocery delivery, check whether the pack needs refrigeration, how long it keeps after opening and whether its size suits your household.
If you want an apple-only juice base, distinguish 100% apple juice from a juice drink or squash. Fruit juice can still contain naturally occurring sugars, so read the nutrition panel as well as the ingredients.
If the no-added-sugar claim matters to you, check that it appears on the exact product. It does not mean sugar-free, and an apple-based drink may contain water, other fruit or sweeteners while having a different fruit content from 100% juice.
A cupboard-stable pack can be stored before opening according to its label; a chilled bottle needs prompt refrigeration. The pack size and consume-within instructions also matter if you will not finish it quickly.
Decide whether you want 100% apple juice or a differently formulated apple-based drink, then compare the exact label and storage instructions for the pack you plan to order.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| No-added-sugar claim | Read the claim, ingredients and ‘of which sugars’ figure. Advertising Standards Authority and Committee of Advertising Practice guidance says a no-added-sugars claim excludes added sugars and foods used for sweetening; naturally occurring sugars may remain. | I want to know whether sweetening ingredients have been added, without assuming the drink contains no sugar. |
| Fruit content and type | Check whether the label says 100% apple juice, juice drink or squash, and note the fruit percentages. M&S lists 67% apple juice and 7% blackcurrant juice in its Apple and Blackcurrant Juice Drink; its Apple and Elderflower High Juice contains 50% apple juice from concentrate. | Apple content matters most to me, or I am happy with a blended drink if its ingredients and flavour suit me. |
| Nutrition comparison | Compare sugars using the same stated unit and serving size. Tropicana lists 10g sugars per 100ml for Long Life Orchard Apple, while M&S lists 7.4g per 100g for its Apple and Blackcurrant Juice Drink; those figures use different units. | I want to compare what the packs actually list, rather than treating ‘no added sugar’ as a total-sugar figure. |
| Delivery and storage | Check whether the unopened pack is for cupboard storage or must be refrigerated, then read its opening instructions. Tesco’s Copella 900ml listing says to keep it refrigerated and consume it within 4 days of opening. | A chilled delivery needs someone available to put it in the fridge, and I want a pack size we can use within its stated opening period. |
| Juice serving | Consider the pack size alongside NHS guidance: fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies count only once towards 5 A Day, with a combined recommended limit of 150ml a day. | I want to understand how a bottle, carton or can relates to the NHS juice serving guidance. |
The claim addresses added sweetening ingredients, not all sugars in the finished drink. Tropicana’s Long Life Orchard Apple and Tesco’s Copella 900ml listing each give 10g sugars per 100ml.
Check the exact claim and ingredients, then compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure on the nutrition panel.
Fruit content and other ingredients differ. M&S lists apple and blackcurrant juices in its juice drink, while its Apple and Elderflower High Juice contains sucralose and sulphites.
Read the product name, fruit percentages and full ingredient list before choosing between formulations.
Copella’s chilled apple juice must be kept refrigerated, and its 900ml listing says to consume it within 4 days of opening.
Arrange to put chilled groceries in the fridge promptly, or choose a pack labelled for cupboard storage before opening. Check that the size suits the stated opening period.
The NHS says fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies count only once towards 5 A Day and advises a combined limit of 150ml a day.
Check the volume you pour rather than using the bottle size as a serving guide.
These examples show how product type and storage instructions vary; check the exact listing when assembling your delivery basket.
Tropicana describes Long Life Orchard Apple as 100% pressed apple juice, not from concentrate, for cupboard storage before opening.
Tesco and Waitrose list chilled Copella apple juice for shoppers considering a cloudy, pressed option.
Tesco’s apple-juice category includes a Tesco 100% Pressed Apple Juice listing alongside branded options.
M&S lists apple juice as well as explicitly no-added-sugar apple-based drinks and high-juice squash.
Asda lists a 300ml Copella Cloudy Apple Fruit Juice among its grocery products.
These options are an apple-and-pear fruit water and a lightly sparkling 100% apple juice. If an explicit no-added-sugar claim is essential, check the wording on the exact pack before ordering.
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An apple-and-pear fruit water rather than 100% apple juice, supplied as three 200ml packs. Check the exact ingredients, no-added-sugar wording and storage instructions if those details determine your choice.
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A lightly sparkling 100% apple juice in six 250ml packs, for shoppers who want apple juice rather than a blended fruit water. Check the pack for an explicit no-added-sugar claim if that wording matters to you. The NHS recommends a combined daily fruit-juice, vegetable-juice and smoothie limit of 150ml.
No. Advertising Standards Authority and Committee of Advertising Practice guidance concerns added sugars and foods used for sweetening; naturally occurring sugars can remain. Tropicana’s Long Life Orchard Apple and Tesco’s Copella 900ml listing each give 10g sugars per 100ml.
Choose 100% apple juice if apple juice itself is your priority; consider an explicitly no-added-sugar apple-based drink if you accept a different formulation. For example, M&S lists 67% apple juice and 7% blackcurrant juice in its Apple and Blackcurrant Juice Drink. Check ingredients and compare nutrition figures using the same unit rather than assuming the claim establishes a lower total-sugar figure.
Put a product labelled ‘keep refrigerated’ in the fridge promptly and follow its opening instructions. Tesco’s Copella 900ml listing says to consume it within 4 days of opening.
The NHS says fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies count only once towards 5 A Day and recommends limiting their combined amount to 150ml a day.
No such conclusion applies to every product. M&S specifically labels its Apple and Elderflower High Juice as not suitable for babies, so check the suitability wording on the exact pack.