For an office packed lunch, choose an unopened long-life milkshake if you need to pack it before leaving home without refrigerating it first, but check the exact pack’s storage instructions: filtered fresh milk is a different format. If sugar or ingredients matter to you, compare labels per 100ml and for the amount you will drink. Once opened, the Yazoo, FRijj and Mars drinks discussed here all instruct you to refrigerate them and consume them within three days.
The useful starting point is whether your drink needs to stay unopened before the commute, and what you want to check on its label.
If you cannot refrigerate a drink before leaving home, look for a pack that permits cupboard storage while unopened. Yazoo says its long-life flavoured milk can be stored this way; check other products’ own instructions rather than relying on the words “milkshake” or “UHT” alone.
Compare the amount you expect to drink, not just front-of-pack wording. Tesco Groceries lists 4.7g sugars per 100ml for Yazoo No Added Sugar Chocolate, 6.5g for Mars No Added Sugar and 11.4g for FRijj Chocolate; these figures apply to those specific products.
Read the current pack if milk, barley or sweeteners affect your choice. Tesco Groceries lists milk in the Yazoo no-added-sugar chocolate drink, and milk, barley and sweeteners in the Mars no-added-sugar drink.
Choose the drink format first, then compare the storage wording, the amount you will drink and the ingredient list on the exact pack.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Unopened storage | Read the exact pack’s unopened storage instructions. Yazoo says its long-life flavoured milk can be kept in a cupboard until opened; do not transfer that instruction to another drink. | I want to put an unopened drink in my bag before work without needing to chill it first. |
| Drink format | Distinguish ready-to-drink milkshake, UHT milk and filtered fresh milk. Tesco Groceries lists filtered fresh milk separately from ready-to-drink milkshakes; check its pack for storage and date instructions. | If I mean plain filtered milk, I do not want to mistake it for a long-life flavoured drink. |
| Sugars and portion | Compare sugars per 100ml, then consider the volume you will drink. Tesco Groceries lists 4.7g, 6.5g and 11.4g sugars per 100ml respectively for the specified Yazoo, Mars and FRijj products. | A “no added sugar” label alone does not tell me how much sugar is in my portion. |
| Ingredients | Check the current ingredient and allergen statements for the exact flavour and size. Tesco Groceries lists milk and barley, as well as sweeteners, for the Mars no-added-sugar drink. | I need to know whether the particular drink fits my ingredient requirements. |
| After opening | Follow the product’s refrigeration and use instructions once the seal is broken. The Yazoo, FRijj and Mars product information calls for refrigeration and consumption within three days after opening. | If I open a bottle before travelling or save some for later, I need a way to keep it as the pack directs. |
Opening changes how the drink must be handled. The Yazoo, FRijj and Mars product information instructs you to refrigerate these drinks and consume them within three days after opening.
Pack the drink unopened when you need its permitted unopened storage conditions, and follow its own label if you break the seal earlier.
The Mars no-added-sugar drink still lists naturally occurring sugars. Pack and serving sizes also affect the amount you drink.
Read the sugars line per 100ml and check the bottle volume against the portion you intend to have.
Tesco Groceries lists filtered fresh milk and ready-to-drink milkshakes as different formats. They should not be assumed to share unopened storage instructions.
Choose the format you actually want, then read that pack’s storage wording before putting it in your lunch bag.
Ingredients differ between products: Tesco Groceries lists milk in the specified Yazoo drink and milk, barley and sweeteners in the specified Mars drink.
Check the current label for the exact flavour and pack size, particularly when an ingredient or allergen affects your choice.
These examples illustrate label differences between particular drinks and formats; they are not claims about every product from each brand.
A long-life flavoured milk option to examine when you pack an unopened drink before work.
Tesco Groceries describes the 330ml FRijj Chocolate Milkshake as a UHT long-life milk drink.
The specified 400ml chocolate, malt and caramel flavoured drink is labelled UHT and no added sugar.
Its groceries categories distinguish ready-to-drink milkshakes from filtered fresh milk and long-life milk, which helps clarify the format you are shopping for.
This ready-to-drink protein shake is an option to consider for an office lunch. It is not presented here as one of the Yazoo, FRijj or Mars UHT milkshakes, or as filtered fresh milk.
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The 330ml bottles offer a ready-to-drink option for lunch, supplied as an eight-pack. The listing states room-temperature storage; check the exact pack’s unopened and after-opening instructions before relying on that for your commute or keeping leftovers.
Only rely on unopened storage conditions permitted by that product’s pack. Yazoo says its long-life flavoured milk can be kept in a cupboard until opened; once opened, the Yazoo, FRijj and Mars drinks discussed here instruct you to refrigerate them and consume them within three days.
No. Tesco Groceries lists filtered fresh milk and ready-to-drink milkshakes as separate formats. Do not assume filtered milk permits unopened cupboard storage; read its own storage instructions and date marking.
No. The specified Mars drink says “no added sugar” but also states that it contains naturally occurring sugars. Tesco Groceries lists 6.5g sugars per 100ml for that drink and 4.7g per 100ml for Yazoo No Added Sugar Chocolate; compare the amount you expect to drink as well.
Read the current ingredient and allergen information for the exact product. Tesco Groceries lists milk in the specified Yazoo no-added-sugar drink, while the specified Mars drink lists milk, barley and sweeteners.
Do not assume a milkshake provides the variety of a whole lunch. The Eatwell Guide from GOV.UK describes choosing a variety of foods and drinks across the day or week; consider the drink as one part of what you pack.