Who is each option for?

Lunch-break drinkers comparing sugars

If you want an instant drink alongside lunch, compare sugars and energy for the mug you will prepare, using the serving instructions rather than the product name alone.

Fairtrade shoppers who prefer recipe control

Cocoa powder lets you choose the milk or dairy alternative and decide whether to add a sweetener. Check the product’s Fairtrade wording as well as the ingredients you use to make the drink.

Shoppers checking for milk

The Sainsbury’s and Clipper instant drinks described here contain milk-derived ingredients. The Green & Black’s cocoa carries a may-contain-milk statement, so check the current pack if milk allergy or dairy avoidance affects your choice.

What should you check?

Decide whether you want a ready-to-mix drink or control over the recipe, then compare the label for the drink you will actually make.

Priority What to check Your needs
Prepared mug Compare serving size, sugars and energy after preparation. Sainsbury’s lists 41 kcal and 4.6 g sugars per mug for its low-calorie Fairtrade instant drink, against 110 kcal and 16.1 g for its standard version. I want a quick drink and need to know what one prepared mug contributes alongside lunch.
Recipe control For cocoa powder, check the amount of powder used and what you add. Tesco lists Green & Black’s cocoa at 0.8 g total sugars per 100 g of dry powder; that is not a prepared-drink figure. I would rather choose my own milk or dairy alternative and decide whether to add sweetener.
Fairtrade claim Read the mark and product-specific wording on the pack. The Fairtrade Foundation says the classic Fairtrade Mark covers all ingredients that can be Fairtrade-certified. I want to know what the Fairtrade claim covers, rather than assume every cocoa drink has the same certification.
Milk wording Read the current ingredients and precautionary allergen statement. The Sainsbury’s and Clipper instant drinks described here contain milk ingredients; Green & Black’s cocoa may contain milk. Milk ingredients or a may-contain statement could change which pack I can choose.
The rest of lunch Consider the drink alongside the foods in the meal. NHS guidance describes a balanced diet as a variety of foods in the right proportions. I am choosing a drink to accompany lunch, not expecting hot chocolate to make up the meal.

Common buying mistakes

  • Assuming Fairtrade means less sugar

    Fairtrade concerns sourcing, not the sugar content of a drink. Sainsbury’s lists 16.1 g sugars per mug for its standard Fairtrade instant hot chocolate and 4.6 g for its low-calorie version.

    Check the Fairtrade claim separately from sugars, energy and serving size on the prepared-drink label.

  • Comparing dry cocoa with a prepared instant drink

    A per-100 g figure for cocoa powder does not include the milk, dairy alternative or sweetener used in the finished mug.

    Work from the quantity of powder and the other ingredients you will use before comparing the drink with an instant mix.

  • Missing milk and allergen statements

    The instant drinks described here contain milk-derived ingredients, while the Green & Black’s cocoa carries a may-contain-milk statement.

    Read the current pack’s ingredients and allergen wording before buying or serving it if milk is a concern.

  • Treating the drink as lunch

    Choosing a drink by its sugar or calorie figure does not tell you whether the rest of the meal is varied. NHS guidance describes a balanced diet in terms of a variety of foods in the right proportions.

    Choose the hot chocolate as a drink alongside lunch rather than as a substitute for the meal.

Relevant brand references

These product lines illustrate different ways to make a Fairtrade hot chocolate; the brand names alone do not establish the nutrition of every product they sell.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s lists standard and low-calorie Fairtrade instant hot chocolates prepared as convenient mug drinks.

  • Its low-calorie version lists 41 kcal and 4.6 g sugars per prepared mug, compared with 110 kcal and 16.1 g for the standard version.
  • The products described here contain milk-derived ingredients; check the current pack for the version you choose.

Green & Black’s

Its Organic Cocoa Fair Trade powder is an option for making a drink with ingredients you choose.

  • Tesco lists the powder as 98% organic cocoa, with 0.8 g total sugars per 100 g of dry powder.
  • The finished drink depends on what you add, and the cocoa carries a may-contain-milk statement.

Clipper

Clipper presents its Seriously Velvety product as a Fairtrade instant hot chocolate.

  • Clipper’s ingredient list identifies cocoa powder at 15%.
  • Sugar is the first listed ingredient, followed by milk-derived ingredients. Check the pack’s prepared-serving nutrition if comparing it with another instant drink.

A cocoa powder option on Joybuy

This cocoa powder is for shoppers who want to choose what goes into their lunchtime hot chocolate, rather than use a pre-sweetened instant mix.

g&B Organic Cocoa 125g pack

g&B Organic Cocoa 125g

Use this cocoa powder to make hot chocolate with your choice of milk or dairy alternative and any sweetener you add. The matching Green & Black’s product is listed at 98% organic cocoa and 0.8 g total sugars per 100 g of dry powder; neither figure describes the finished mug. The product description says it may contain milk. Its listed energy figures for an approximately 4 g serving and per 100 g are inconsistent, so check the current pack before comparing energy per serving.

View on Joybuy

Questions about Fairtrade hot chocolate

Does Fairtrade hot chocolate automatically contain less sugar?

No. Fairtrade describes sourcing, not a sugar threshold. Sainsbury’s lists 4.6 g sugars per prepared mug for its low-calorie Fairtrade instant drink and 16.1 g for its standard Fairtrade version, so compare the serving labels separately from the certification claim.

Which option lets me control what goes into the mug?

Fairtrade cocoa powder lets you choose the milk or dairy alternative and whether to add sweetener. Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Fair Trade is listed as 98% organic cocoa powder, but its dry-powder nutrition does not describe a prepared drink, and its pack carries a may-contain-milk statement.

How do I assess a Fairtrade claim?

Check the mark and wording on the specific pack. The Fairtrade Foundation says the classic Fairtrade Mark indicates that all ingredients eligible for Fairtrade certification are Fairtrade-certified.

Do these instant hot chocolates contain milk?

The Sainsbury’s low-calorie and standard Fairtrade instant drinks described here contain milk-derived ingredients, and Clipper lists skimmed milk powder and whey permeate powder. Check the current ingredients and allergen statement on the pack before choosing a drink if milk is a concern.

Can hot chocolate replace lunch?

A hot chocolate alone does not provide the variety of foods described in NHS balanced-diet guidance. Choose it as a drink alongside lunch, while considering the ingredients and serving size of the mug you make.