Parents serving children at a BBQ
Separate cartons are straightforward to hand out without pouring from a shared bottle. Tesco Groceries lists Yazoo six-packs with 200ml per carton; check the current label for sugars and milk before serving.
Who is each format for?
Hosts serving several guests outdoors
A bottle can be poured into cups, while sealed cartons give guests separate drinks. If you choose a bottle, plan how you will serve it and keep dairy drinks cool during the BBQ.
Families comparing no-added-sugar drinks
Check the total sugars line and ingredients alongside any no-added-sugar claim. Allergen statements matter too: the Yazoo products listed by Tesco contain milk, while the Mars drink listed by Tesco contains milk and barley.
What should you check before buying?
Start with the number of people you intend to serve, then compare the labels and work out how you will keep the drinks cool outdoors.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Servings | Count the separate drinks and check their volume. Tesco Groceries lists Yazoo packs of six 200ml cartons and a 1-litre Yazoo bottle; its Mars listing states two portions in a 400ml bottle. | I would rather hand each guest a sealed drink than find cups and pour from one bottle. |
| Sugars and sweeteners | Compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100ml and check the ingredients for sweeteners. Tesco Groceries lists 4.7g sugars per 100ml for Yazoo No Added Sugar Chocolate and 4.6g for Strawberry; ASDA Groceries lists sweeteners in the Mars no-added-sugar drink. | If I am choosing between flavours or no-added-sugar labels, I want to compare what is in the actual drinks. |
| Allergens | Read the current allergen statement for the exact flavour and pack. Tesco Groceries declares milk in the Yazoo cartons and milk and barley in the Mars drink. | A guest needs to avoid milk or barley, so the front-of-pack description alone is not enough for my choice. |
| Outdoor storage | Check the pack’s storage instructions and have a cool box or cool bag with ice or frozen gel packs ready. The Food Standards Agency advises keeping dairy products cool at picnics. | I need to keep drinks cool while guests arrive and serve them, rather than leave them on the BBQ table. |
What can catch you out?
-
Reading ‘no added sugar’ as ‘sugar-free’
Those claims mean different things. Tesco Groceries lists sugars in its Yazoo no-added-sugar cartons, and ASDA Groceries lists sweeteners in the Mars no-added-sugar drink.
Compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100ml and per intended serving, then read the ingredients if sweeteners matter to your choice.
-
Counting a single bottle as a family pack
A 330ml or 400ml bottle does not give guests the same number of separate drinks as six 200ml cartons. A 1-litre bottle also needs cups and pouring.
Count the servings you expect to hand out, then choose cartons or plan for cups and a place to keep a shared bottle cool.
-
Leaving dairy drinks on the BBQ table
The Food Standards Agency advises keeping dairy products cool at outdoor meals.
Use a cool box or cool bag with ice or frozen gel packs, and follow the storage instructions on each pack.
-
Confusing lactose reduced with milk-free
The Yazoo cartons listed by Tesco Groceries are described as lactose reduced but still declare milk.
If a guest needs to avoid milk, check the allergen statement and provide a suitable alternative rather than relying on lactose-reduced wording.
Relevant brand references
Yazoo
Tesco Groceries lists Yazoo No Added Sugar chocolate and strawberry milk drinks in six-carton, 200ml-per-carton packs.
- The separate cartons suit a BBQ where guests are each being handed a drink.
- Both listed flavours declare milk and contain sugars despite their no-added-sugar labelling; check the current pack.
Müller FRijj
Müller UK & Ireland describes its FRijj Favourites Chocolate Flavour milkshake as a 330ml UHT bottle, making this product an individual-bottle option rather than a multipack.
- A single bottle may suit a guest choosing their own drink.
- It does not supply separate drinks for a group; check its sugars and milk ingredients on the current label.
Mars
Tesco Groceries lists the Mars No Added Sugar chocolate milk drink as a 400ml bottle with two stated portions.
- The stated portions can be considered when serving one person or pouring two smaller drinks.
- Tesco Groceries declares milk and barley, while ASDA Groceries lists sweeteners. It is not a six-drink multipack.
Joybuy milk-drink options
The Joybuy option here is a three-pack of strawberry milk drinks for handing out separately at a BBQ. It is a smaller pack than the six-carton milkshake format discussed above.
No image available
POKKA Strawberry Milk 240ml x 3
Three separate 240ml strawberry milk drinks can be handed out without pouring, but the pack serves fewer people than a six-carton pack. Check the current ingredients and allergens for your guests, and keep dairy drinks cool at the BBQ.
Questions about BBQ milk drinks
Is a no-added-sugar milk drink sugar-free?
No. Tesco Groceries lists sugars in the nutrition information for Yazoo No Added Sugar chocolate and strawberry cartons. Compare the ‘of which sugars’ line on the pack, and check the ingredients if you also want to know whether it contains sweeteners.
Can UHT milk drinks stay on the BBQ table all afternoon?
Do not use the UHT label as a substitute for checking storage instructions, particularly after opening. The Food Standards Agency advises keeping dairy products cool at outdoor meals in a cool box or cool bag with ice or frozen gel packs.
Can I serve these drinks to a guest with a milk allergy?
The Yazoo, Mars and Müller FRijj products discussed here contain milk, so they are not suitable for a guest who needs to avoid it. Check the current allergen statement for every flavour and pack; Tesco Groceries also declares barley in the Mars drink.
How should I handle an opened bottle or carton?
Follow its on-pack instructions for storage and use after opening. At a BBQ, keep dairy drinks cool in a cool box or cool bag rather than leaving a partly used bottle or carton on the table.