Workplace canteen buyers
If staff will dilute and serve the drink, look for directions they can follow consistently. Keep the current ingredient information accessible and plan storage around the instructions on the bottle you purchase.
Who is this for?
The choice affects both the people preparing lunch drinks and the staff selecting what to drink.
Staff choosing a no-added-sugar drink
If the claim matters to you, check the nutrition for the prepared drink as well as the bottle label. No added sugar does not mean that fruit-derived sugars are absent.
Staff checking sweeteners or sulphites
Ingredients need checking by flavour and variant. M&S Food lists sucralose and sulphites in its checked High Juice products, while a checked Robinsons Apple & Blackcurrant variant lists acesulfame K, sucralose and sodium metabisulphite.
What should you check?
Start with the exact bottle the canteen would serve, then compare drinks at their stated dilution rather than treating different concentrates as equivalent.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Claim and sugars | Confirm that the exact variant says no added sugar. Read its sugars value on the prepared-drink basis; the claim does not mean sugar-free. | I want to understand what the no-added-sugar label tells me without assuming a fruit-containing drink has no sugars. |
| Preparation | Check the manufacturer’s dilution direction and the units used for nutrition. Waitrose & Partners lists Belvoir Cherries & Berries at 1 part cordial to 6 parts water; Joybuy lists Vimto at 1 part cordial to 5 parts water. | Lunch drinks should be mixed consistently, and I want to compare what people will actually drink rather than bottle volumes alone. |
| Ingredients | Read the sweetener and allergen declaration for the chosen flavour. Check the delivered label again if ingredients or packaging change. | I need ingredient information that can be shared before someone selects a drink, particularly when a variant declares sulphites. |
| Lunch service | Check the exact bottle’s refrigeration and after-opening instructions. Keep its current ingredient information available through the canteen’s service process. | Opened bottles need a stock-rotation routine, and staff serving a diluted drink need a way to answer ingredient questions. The Food Standards Agency notes that how allergen information is provided depends on the type of food business. |
Common buying mistakes
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Calling no added sugar “sugar-free”
Fruit-containing concentrates can declare sugars in the prepared drink. Waitrose & Partners lists 1.1 g sugars per 100 ml diluted Belvoir Cherries & Berries cordial.
Use the wording on the exact bottle and show its prepared-drink nutrition when describing the canteen option.
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Equating bottle size with the amount served
Concentrates can have different dilution directions, so equal bottle volumes need not produce equal volumes of drink.
Follow each manufacturer’s mixing direction before planning servings or comparing prepared-drink nutrition.
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Assuming flavours share an ingredient list
Checked M&S High Juice and Robinsons variants declare different combinations of sweeteners and sulphites. A claim on the front of the bottle does not identify those ingredients.
Approve the exact flavour and variant, retain its current label or specification, and make allergen information available through the canteen’s service process.
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Using one storage rule for every bottle
After-opening directions belong to the individual product; a routine borrowed from another squash or cordial may not match its label.
Date-mark opened bottles and follow the purchased product’s refrigeration and use instructions when rotating stock.
Brand and retailer references
These examples illustrate different recipes and formats; the details of one product should not be assumed to apply across its whole range.
Robinsons
Robinsons appears in the checked no-added-sugar squash examples with several fruit flavours and bottle sizes.
- A familiar squash route for canteens considering separate flavour options.
- Check ingredients by variant: the Joybuy-listed Double Concentrate Apple & Blackcurrant product declares acesulfame K, sucralose and sodium metabisulphite.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists no-added-sugar, quadruple-strength lime and blackcurrant concentrates.
- Both checked listings describe an extra-concentrated drink to dilute to taste.
- Use the chosen bottle’s directions and ingredient declaration rather than applying one recipe to every flavour.
Waitrose
Waitrose & Partners lists no-added-sugar squash and cordial options from its own range and other brands.
- Its assortment offers a way to consider different flavours and concentrate formats.
- A shared retailer category does not mean the products have the same ingredients, dilution directions or prepared-drink nutrition.
M&S
M&S Food describes its checked Apple & Elderflower and Lemon & Lime High Juice concentrates as containing 50% fruit juice.
- A high-fruit recipe is a distinct option when that product characteristic matters to the canteen.
- Both checked examples list sucralose and E223 sulphites; no added sugar does not make them sugar-free.
Belvoir Farm
Waitrose & Partners lists Belvoir Cherries & Berries as a no-added-sugar cordial with naturally sourced sweeteners.
- Its stated preparation is 1 part cordial to 6 parts water.
- The listing declares 1.1 g sugars per 100 ml diluted drink, so check the prepared-drink values as well as the claim.
Joybuy squash options
These Joybuy options are no-added-sugar squash concentrates for a canteen considering fruit flavours. Compare the exact bottle’s preparation, nutrition and ingredient information before choosing one for lunch service.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Lemon Squash 1L
Consider this lemon variant if the canteen wants a citrus squash. Check its on-pack dilution direction for repeatable service and retain the ingredient information for the bottle served.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Orange Squash 1L
Consider this orange variant where that flavour suits the lunch selection. Joybuy states 3 calories per 250 ml diluted glass; check the current label for its mixing direction and allergen declaration before service.
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Ribena No Added Sugar Blackcurrant Concentrate 1.5L
This blackcurrant concentrate offers a different flavour and a 1.5 L bottle. Check the product’s mixing instructions, the basis of its nutrition figures and its current ingredient declaration before comparing it with a prepared drink.
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Ribena No Added Sugar Pineapple and Passion Fruit Squash 850ml
This pineapple and passion fruit variant adds a different flavour to consider for lunch. Check its dilution direction and prepared-drink nutrition, and keep the current ingredient information available when serving it.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Summer Fruits Squash 1L
This summer-fruits variant may suit a canteen offering a mixed-fruit flavour. Read its dilution and after-opening directions on the purchased bottle, and check the current ingredient declaration before service.
Questions about canteen service
Does no added sugar mean a cordial is sugar-free?
No. No added sugar does not rule out naturally occurring sugars from fruit. For example, Waitrose & Partners declares 1.1 g sugars per 100 ml diluted Belvoir Cherries & Berries cordial, so check the prepared-drink nutrition for the exact product served.
How should a canteen compare concentrated drinks?
Compare nutrition for the drinks at their stated dilution, using matching units where possible. Dilution directions vary: Waitrose & Partners lists 1 part Belvoir cordial to 6 parts water, while Joybuy recommends 1 part Vimto concentrate to 5 parts water.
What ingredient information should be available at lunch?
Keep the current label or a controlled specification for the exact drink being served so staff can check its ingredients and allergen declaration. The Food Standards Agency says the way allergen information is provided depends on the type of food business; checked M&S High Juice and Robinsons variants declare sulphites.
How long can an opened bottle be used?
Follow the purchased bottle’s own refrigeration and after-opening instructions rather than applying one period to every cordial or squash. Date-marking bottles helps canteen staff use those instructions when rotating stock.
Do all no-added-sugar squashes use the same sweeteners?
No. M&S Food lists sucralose in its checked High Juice products, while Joybuy lists both acesulfame K and sucralose in a Robinsons Apple & Blackcurrant variant. Check the ingredient list of the flavour and pack the canteen will serve.