Who is comparing these drinks?

Shoppers comparing sugar claims

If you are choosing between a smoothie and another drink, compare the sugars on the nutrition panel as well as any front-of-pack claim. Diabetes UK distinguishes sugars in whole fruit from free sugars in smoothies.

Families packing drinks for day trips

A single-serving pouch may be easier to plan around than a bottle shared across several servings. Check the exact pack’s instructions for time out of the fridge and what to do after opening.

Shoppers buying larger chilled bottles

For a 750ml smoothie, check how many servings the bottle contains, compare sugars per 100ml and per serving, and follow its refrigeration instructions.

How should you compare drinks and packs?

Decide whether you want a fruit smoothie, water with whole fruit, or a labelled sugar-free drink. For a smoothie, the serving size, sugar declaration and storage instructions matter as much as the flavour.

Water with whole fruit

Consider it: When you want fruit and a separate drink rather than blended fruit.

Trade-off: You need to carry the fruit separately instead of taking one ready-to-drink blend; Diabetes UK distinguishes sugars in whole fruit from free sugars in smoothies.

Fruit smoothie

Consider it: When you want a fruit blend with a meal and can measure a portion.

Trade-off: Smoothie sugars count towards free-sugar intake according to Diabetes UK, even when the drink has no added sugar.

Sugar-free packaged drink

Consider it: When the sugar-free claim matters more to your choice than having a fruit smoothie.

Trade-off: It is a different kind of drink; check its ingredients and serving size rather than treating it as a smoothie substitute in every respect.

Priority What to check Your needs
Sugar claims Read the exact wording of the claim and the ‘of which sugars’ value per 100ml and per serving. Tesco Groceries lists 10g sugars per 100ml for its Innocent Mangoes, Passion Fruits & Apples smoothie. I want to know how much sugar is in the drink, not assume that ‘no added sugar’ means sugar-free.
Portion size Check the labelled serving size and servings per bottle. The NHS advises no more than 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies combined per day for adults and children, with meals. For a shared bottle, I want to pour a serving rather than treat the whole bottle as one drink.
Day-trip storage Read the exact pack’s refrigeration, out-of-fridge and after-opening instructions. Waitrose & Partners says its Innocent children’s pouch can be out of the fridge for up to 12 hours and should be drunk straight away once opened. I need a format whose stated storage instructions fit the time away from a fridge.
Ingredients Compare the ingredients on the current pack, especially when choosing between fruit-only blends and recipes containing other ingredients. Check the highlighted allergens in the ingredients list. If I am avoiding an ingredient, the exact recipe matters more than the brand or smoothie category.

Common smoothie-shopping mistakes

  • Reading ‘no added sugar’ as ‘sugar-free’

    A smoothie can contain sugars from its fruit ingredients. Tesco Groceries lists 10g sugars per 100ml for its Innocent Mangoes, Passion Fruits & Apples smoothie.

    Compare the sugar declaration on the exact pack. If you want a sugar-free drink, look for that claim rather than relying on ‘no added sugar’.

  • Treating a large bottle as one serving

    Tesco Groceries labels its 750ml Innocent smoothie as five 150ml servings. The NHS advises no more than 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies combined per day, with meals.

    Check the bottle’s serving count and pour a measured portion; store the remainder as its label instructs.

  • Applying one pack’s storage allowance to another

    Waitrose & Partners gives an out-of-fridge allowance of up to 12 hours for a particular Innocent children’s pouch. That instruction does not establish how long a different smoothie bottle can be kept out.

    Check the pack you are taking before the trip and plan how you will follow its storage instructions.

  • Assuming every smoothie has the same ingredients

    Marks & Spencer lists both fruit smoothies and blends with yoghurt, dates and oats. A brand name alone cannot tell you which ingredients are in an individual drink.

    Read the current ingredients list and allergen information on the exact pack before buying.

Brands and retailers to compare

Innocent

Its retailer listings include a 750ml Mangoes, Passion Fruits & Apples smoothie and a children’s fruit-smoothie pouch.

  • Tesco Groceries lists five 150ml servings and 10g sugars per 100ml for the mango blend.
  • The children’s pouch has its own storage instructions; do not apply them to the larger bottle.

Naked

Morrisons lists Naked Fire Machine as a 750ml fruit smoothie with ginger and a no-added-sugar description.

  • The listing states its five-a-day claim on the basis of a 150ml serving.
  • No added sugar does not tell you the drink’s total sugars; check its nutrition panel and storage instructions.

M&S Food

Marks & Spencer lists ready-made smoothies in 350ml and 750ml bottles, including blends made with yoghurt, dates and oats.

  • The listed formats give shoppers different bottle sizes to compare.
  • Check the ingredients and nutrition for the particular blend rather than assuming every bottle has the same recipe.

Waitrose

Waitrose & Partners lists an Innocent children’s fruit-smoothie pouch with pack-specific storage guidance.

  • Its listing states that this pouch can be kept out of the fridge for up to 12 hours.
  • The same listing says to drink it straight away after opening; the allowance is not a rule for other smoothies.

Tesco

Tesco Groceries lists a 750ml Innocent Mangoes, Passion Fruits & Apples smoothie with per-100ml and per-serving nutrition information.

  • Its listing gives 10g sugars per 100ml, 15g per 150ml serving and five servings per bottle.
  • Those figures describe that product, not every smoothie sold by Tesco.

A Joybuy sugar-free drink option

This canned drink is a sugar-free alternative for an outing, not a fruit smoothie. Compare its pack format and ingredients with what you intended to take.

Tango Apple Sugar-Free, pack of 24 330ml cans

Tango Apple Sugar-Free, 24 x 330ml cans

A sugar-free canned option if you want a packaged drink rather than a fruit smoothie. This is a carbonated soft drink, and the pack contains 24 cans of 330ml each; check whether that format suits your outing.

View on Joybuy

Questions about labels and day trips

Does ‘no added sugar’ mean a smoothie is sugar-free?

No. Tesco Groceries lists 10g sugars per 100ml for its Innocent Mangoes, Passion Fruits & Apples smoothie. Check the total sugars on the exact pack, and look for an actual sugar-free claim if that is the type of drink you want.

How much smoothie should I take for a day out?

The NHS advises adults and children to have no more than 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies combined each day, with meals. If you take a larger bottle, check its serving count: Tesco Groceries labels its 750ml Innocent smoothie as five 150ml servings.

Can a smoothie stay out of the fridge all day?

Follow the instructions for the exact pack. Waitrose & Partners says its Innocent children’s pouch can be out of the fridge for up to 12 hours and should be drunk straight away after opening; that allowance does not apply automatically to a different smoothie.

Is the sugar in a smoothie the same as in whole fruit?

Diabetes UK says that fructose in a smoothie contributes to free-sugar intake, whereas fructose in whole fruit does not. If sugar or carbohydrate information matters to your choice, compare the values per serving on the exact drink.

What should I check if an ingredient is a concern?

Read the ingredients on the exact pack rather than relying on the brand or flavour name. The Food Standards Agency states that prepacked foods must carry an ingredients list and emphasise allergens present in it.