If lower labelled sugar is your priority, compare no-added-sugar juice drinks: Tesco and Sainsbury's list 3.1g and 3.9g sugars per 150ml respectively, while Tropicana and Copella each list 15g per 150ml of their apple juices. Choose 100% apple juice when an all-juice formulation matters more to you, but check your portion: the NHS counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars.
If labelled sugar is the deciding factor, compare drinks at the same serving size. Tesco's no-added-sugar apple juice drink lists 3.1g sugars per 150ml, while Tropicana Orchard Apple lists 15g per 150ml; their ingredients also show that one is a juice drink and the other is apple juice.
If you want apple juice rather than a drink diluted with water, check the ingredients and serving size. The NHS counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars, even though they occur naturally in the fruit.
A small carton may suit a lunchbox or a drink for immediate use. Asda's Apple & Pear Juice Drink comes in a 150ml carton; check its apple and pear juice content and sweetener on the label if those ingredients matter to you.
Start with the sugars figure and ingredients, then choose a pack size you can use within its storage instructions.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Labelled sugars | Compare sugars per 100ml or per equal-sized serving. Tesco lists 3.1g per 150ml for its no-added-sugar apple juice drink; Tropicana and Copella each list 15g per 150ml for their apple juices. | I'm choosing by the sugars figure, so I want to compare the amount I would actually pour or drink. |
| Juice content | Read the ingredients for water, juice concentrate and sweeteners. Tesco lists 20% apple juice from concentrate and sucralose; Sainsbury's lists 20% apple and 5% pear juice from concentrate, with sweeteners. | Is an all-juice drink important to me, or would I choose a diluted apple-flavoured drink with sweetener? |
| Serving size | Check whether nutrition is shown per 100ml, per serving or per carton. The NHS says sugars in unsweetened fruit juice count as free sugars. | I want to know how much is in my glass rather than treating a multi-serve bottle as one portion. |
| Pack and storage | Match a single carton or larger bottle to when you will use it. Check the opened-life instructions on the pack; Marks & Spencer says its Apple Juice should be refrigerated and consumed within four days of opening. | A small carton works for one occasion; for a larger pack, I need to know when it must be finished. |
The terms describe different things. Tesco's no-added-sugar apple juice drink contains water, 20% apple juice from concentrate and sucralose, rather than being entirely apple juice.
Check the ingredients for the proportion of juice and any sweeteners before deciding which formulation you want.
The NHS counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars. Tropicana Orchard Apple and Copella Cloudy Apple each list 15g sugars per 150ml.
Use the nutrition panel to compare the serving you intend to drink, not just the wording on the front of the pack.
An opened bottle may need to be used sooner than expected. Marks & Spencer instructs shoppers to refrigerate its Apple Juice after opening and consume it within four days.
For one drink, compare a single carton with a larger pack and read the larger pack's opened-life instructions.
A pack left unfinished beyond its stated opened-life may go to waste.
These named products illustrate formulation, serving and storage differences; the details apply to the specified products, not every drink from each brand or retailer.
Tropicana Orchard Apple is an apple-juice option for shoppers who want an all-juice drink.
Copella Cloudy Apple offers pressed apple juice with a cloudy style.
Tesco No Added Sugar Apple Juice Drink is a diluted apple juice drink, rather than 100% apple juice.
Sainsbury's No Added Sugar Apple & Pear Juice Drink combines apple and pear concentrates in a juice drink.
Asda Apple & Pear Juice Drink is a 150ml carton for a single occasion.
M&S Apple Juice is an option for shoppers looking for apple juice rather than a named no-added-sugar juice drink.
These options cover an apple-and-blackcurrant multipack, apple-and-pear fruit water and a 1L apple juice. Check each pack's ingredients and nutrition when deciding between a fruit drink and juice.
No image available
The eight 200ml bottles offer individual drinks for a top-up shop. This is an apple-and-blackcurrant option, not plain apple juice; check the pack for its sugars figure, juice content and sweeteners.
No image available
Three 200ml cartons suit occasions when separate apple-and-pear drinks are more useful than a single large pack. As a fruit water rather than plain apple juice, its ingredients and sugars figure are worth checking against the other options.
No image available
The 1L pack is an apple-juice option for multiple servings. Joybuy lists 10.2g sugars per 100ml for this product; check the pack's ingredients, serving size and instructions for storage after opening.
No. A drink can carry a no-added-sugar label and still list sugars in its nutrition information. Tesco's No Added Sugar Apple Juice Drink lists 3.1g sugars per 150ml, so use the nutrition panel as well as the front-of-pack wording.
No. Tesco's no-added-sugar apple juice drink lists water, 20% apple juice from concentrate and sucralose, whereas Tropicana Orchard Apple lists apple juice and ascorbic acid. Read the ingredients if the proportion of juice matters to your choice.
Compare the same volume, such as the sugars figure per 100ml, or calculate what is in the amount you intend to drink. Keep a per-carton figure separate from a per-150ml figure unless the carton itself contains 150ml.
Read that product's refrigeration and opened-life instructions. Marks & Spencer says its Apple Juice should be refrigerated after opening and consumed within four days; do not assume another juice or juice drink has the same instructions.