Lunchbox planners reducing dietary fat
If you want one sealed drink per packed lunch, compare fat and saturates per 100ml and check how much is in each bottle. Choose a multipack only if the exact drink’s label fits your needs.
Who is this for?
Shoppers choosing no-added-sugar drinks
A no-added-sugar flavoured milk drink can still contain naturally occurring sugars. Check the sugars line as well as the fat figures.
People following a prescribed very-low-fat diet
If a healthcare professional has given you a specific fat limit, assess each drink against that plan. A no-added-sugar claim does not establish whether the drink fits it.
What should you check?
Compare the same volume across drinks first, then check what one bottle contributes and whether its format works for packed lunches.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs and label use |
|---|---|---|
| Fat and saturates | Compare total fat and saturates per 100ml, then check the bottle size. For a prescribed very-low-fat diet, use the limits in your clinical plan rather than a general front-of-pack claim. | I want to compare drinks of different sizes on the same basis. In the Food Standards Agency’s 2024 Northern Ireland survey of 611 interviewees, 49% said they actively used traffic-light labels when shopping for food generally; that figure is not specific to milkshakes or fat. |
| Sugars | Read sugars per 100ml and the ingredients alongside any no-added-sugar claim. Yazoo lists 4.7g sugars per 100ml for its Kids Chocolate formulation; confirm the figures on the multipack you intend to buy. | A no-added-sugar drink appeals to me, but I also want to know how much sugar the particular flavour contains. |
| Pack format | Check the number and size of sealed bottles. Tesco lists Yazoo no-added-sugar drinks as 6 × 200ml packs; its Mars No Added Sugar drink is one 400ml bottle with two stated 200ml portions. Check storage instructions if dividing a larger bottle. | For regular packed lunches, I would rather take one sealed portion than measure a drink from an opened bottle. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming no added sugar means low fat or sugar-free
No-added-sugar drinks can contain naturally occurring sugars, and the claim says nothing about their fat content. Tesco lists 2.2g fat and 6.5g sugars per 100ml for Mars No Added Sugar; Yazoo lists 1.4g fat and 4.7g sugars per 100ml for its Kids Chocolate formulation. These are figures for the named drinks, not every flavour or pack.
Read fat, saturates and sugars per 100ml on each exact drink you are considering.
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Applying a clinical fat threshold to everyone
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes drinks with 0.5g to 1.5g fat per 100ml as low fat in guidance for people advised to consume no more than 20g fat daily. That screening range belongs to that clinical context.
If you have a prescribed plan, follow its requirements; otherwise, compare the drinks’ labels without treating that threshold as a universal rule.
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Treating a large bottle like sealed lunchbox portions
Tesco states that its 400ml Mars drink contains two 200ml portions. Once opened, it must be refrigerated and consumed within three days, unlike a sealed portion taken from a multipack.
Choose the format that suits how you will portion, carry and store the drink.
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Assuming every flavour has the same label
Nutrition figures for one named flavour do not establish the figures for another. Müller advises checking its product packaging because formulations may change.
Check the current pack for the exact flavour and size, including nutrition, ingredients, allergens and storage instructions.
Brands and product formats
Yazoo
Tesco lists Yazoo No Added Sugar Chocolate and Strawberry drinks in 6 × 200ml packs, a format suited to choosing one sealed drink per lunch.
- Yazoo lists 1.4g fat, 1.0g saturates and 4.7g sugars per 100ml for its Kids Chocolate formulation.
- Check the current multipack label before applying those formulation figures to the pack you buy.
Mars
Tesco lists Mars No Added Sugar as a 400ml flavoured milk drink with two stated 200ml portions, rather than sealed individual bottles.
- The product label gives per-100ml figures for comparing it with drinks in other pack sizes.
- Tesco lists 2.2g fat, 1.4g saturates and 6.5g sugars per 100ml for this drink; its no-added-sugar claim does not describe those amounts.
Müller FRijj
Müller identifies its FRijj Chilli Chocolate flavour as a single 330ml bottle, a different format from a lunchbox multipack.
- Müller lists 1.7g fat, 0.8g saturates and 11.2g sugars per 100ml for this specific flavour.
- Those figures should not be applied to other FRijj flavours; check the bottle you choose.
Tesco
Tesco’s ready-to-drink milkshake listings include portioned Yazoo multipacks and its own 1L chocolate flavoured milk, allowing shoppers to compare pack formats.
- The listed sizes make it possible to distinguish sealed individual drinks from a larger bottle.
- Check the own-brand drink’s nutrition label before comparing its fat content with a multipack.
Joybuy product options
The option below is an eight-bottle protein shake pack rather than a conventional flavoured-milk multipack. Consider whether that drink style and its current nutrition label suit your lunchbox choice.
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Grenade Salted Caramel Protein Shake, 8 × 330ml
Eight individual 330ml bottles offer a sealed portion for each occasion, though this is a protein shake rather than a conventional flavoured milkshake. Check fat, saturates and sugars per 100ml on the current pack before deciding whether it fits your needs.
Questions about choosing a milkshake
Does no added sugar mean a milkshake is sugar-free?
No. A no-added-sugar drink can still contain naturally occurring sugars. Yazoo lists 4.7g sugars per 100ml for its Kids Chocolate formulation, while Tesco lists 6.5g per 100ml for Mars No Added Sugar; check the exact drink’s label.
What fat figure should I compare for a low-fat diet?
Compare total fat and saturates per 100ml so that different bottle sizes are assessed on the same basis, then consider the amount you would drink. If you have been prescribed a very-low-fat diet, follow your clinical plan: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s 0.5g to 1.5g fat-per-100ml range for low-fat drinks is guidance for people advised to consume no more than 20g fat daily, not a universal rule.
Is a 400ml bottle the same as a lunchbox multipack?
No. Tesco lists Yazoo no-added-sugar drinks as six sealed 200ml bottles, whereas its 400ml Mars drink has two stated 200ml portions in one bottle. The larger bottle requires portioning, and its label says to refrigerate it after opening and consume it within three days.
Which allergens should I check?
Check the exact drink’s ingredients and allergen information rather than assuming all flavours have the same formulation. Tesco lists milk and barley for its Mars No Added Sugar drink.