If you want less sugar in the drink served with a Chinese takeaway, start with a no-added-sugar cordial and compare sugar figures for the prepared drink, not just the concentrate. The front-of-pack claim is not the whole decision: check the exact bottle’s sweeteners, allergen information and dilution directions, especially if an ingredient matters to someone you are serving.
If you are making cordial to serve with the meal, compare the sugars line for the diluted glass and follow that product’s mixing directions. A no-added-sugar claim alone does not tell you the sugar content of the drink you pour.
No-added-sugar cordials do not all use the same sweeteners. Check the ingredients for the exact flavour and pack you plan to serve rather than relying on another product from the same brand.
Ingredient and allergen checks matter before serving a group. The Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose lime cordials described on their product pages list sodium metabisulphite or sulphites; check the current bottle if these are relevant to a guest.
Choose the type of drink you want to make, then compare nutrition on a like-for-like prepared basis and check ingredients before settling on a flavour.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar after dilution | Read the sugars figure for a prepared serving and its stated volume. Follow the bottle’s dilution directions; do not compare a figure for concentrate directly with one for a diluted drink. | I want less sugar in the glass served with the takeaway, rather than choosing by the words on the front of the bottle alone. |
| Sweetener | Read the current ingredient list for named sweeteners. Sainsbury's lime cordial lists sucralose; Tesco lime lists sucralose and acesulfame K; Tesco’s Robinsons Orange No Added Sugar listing names aspartame and saccharin. | If a particular sweetener does not suit me, I need to check the precise flavour and formulation before buying. |
| Allergens and warnings | Check the bottle’s allergen statement and any warning beside the ingredients. The Tesco listing for Robinsons Orange No Added Sugar identifies sulphites and carries a phenylalanine warning. | When I am serving other people, I need an ingredient check that reflects their requirements, not an assumption based on the no-added-sugar claim. |
| Flavour and mixing | Choose a flavour your guests will drink and check how much water the cordial requires. Follow the directions for that bottle rather than applying another product’s ratio. | For a mixed takeaway order, I would like to make drinks to taste without assuming that one citrus or fruit flavour suits every dish. |
A no-added-sugar cordial can contain naturally occurring sugars. Nutrition figures may also refer either to concentrate or to a diluted drink, which changes what can be compared.
Read the exact claim, the sugars line, the serving basis and the mixing directions on the bottle you choose.
The Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose lime cordials described on their product pages list sodium metabisulphite or sulphites.
If sulphites are relevant to someone you are serving, inspect the current allergen statement before preparing their drink.
Tesco’s listings for Robinsons Lemon and Orange No Added Sugar name aspartame among their sweeteners; its Orange listing also carries a phenylalanine warning.
If you need to avoid aspartame, check the ingredients and warnings on the exact product rather than using its sugar claim as a substitute.
Concentrates are prepared according to their own directions. Bottle size alone does not show how many drinks you will make at your preferred strength.
Check the pack size and mixing instructions together, particularly when choosing drinks for several guests.
These examples show why the exact product label matters; a formulation described for one flavour should not be assumed to apply across a brand.
No-added-sugar squash offers lemon and orange routes for a drink diluted at home.
Its own-label lime cordial is a no-added-sugar citrus option.
Its no-added-sugar lime cordial is another option for a citrus drink.
Its No Added Sugar Lime Juice Cordial provides a stated serving basis and mixing suggestion.
Its Sicilian Lemon and Mexican Lime Cordial is a citrus option that lists sugar as an ingredient, rather than a no-added-sugar choice.
Its no-added-sugar lemon-and-lime cordial is an option for shoppers checking which sweetener a citrus drink uses.
These Robinsons no-added-sugar squashes are concentrates you can dilute for a takeaway-night drink. The packs and flavours differ; check each bottle’s prepared-drink nutrition and ingredients before choosing for your guests.
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The six-bottle pack offers a summer-fruits squash to dilute for drinks with the meal. If sweeteners or sulphites matter to your guests, check the current ingredients; follow the bottle’s mixing directions when comparing prepared-drink nutrition.
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This six-bottle lemon squash pack suits a group that wants a citrus-flavoured drink to dilute at home. Check the prepared-serving sugar figure and dilution directions on the bottle; its ingredient and warning statements also matter if aspartame or phenylalanine is a concern.
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Choose the orange flavour if that suits the drinks you plan to serve. Check this bottle’s sweetener list rather than assuming it matches another Robinsons orange variant, and read its sulphite information before serving anyone for whom that matters.
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This single-bottle lemon option avoids committing to the six-bottle pack of the same named flavour. Compare sugar figures using the bottle’s prepared-serving and dilution directions, and check the current ingredients if aspartame, saccharin or sulphites are relevant.
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This single-bottle summer-fruits option offers a different flavour from the citrus squashes. Check its current sweetener and sulphite information, then use its own mixing directions and prepared-drink nutrition when comparing it with other cordials.
No. A drink can contain naturally occurring sugars without sugar being added as an ingredient. Waitrose describes its No Added Sugar Lime Juice Cordial this way and lists less than 0.5 g sugars per 250 ml prepared serving; read the nutrition panel for the bottle you are using.
No. The listed formulations differ: Sainsbury's lime uses sucralose, Tesco lime uses sucralose and acesulfame K, Tesco’s Robinsons Lemon and Orange listings name aspartame and saccharin, and the Waitrose listing for Belvoir lemon and lime names steviol glycosides. Check the current ingredients for the exact product.
Read the current bottle’s ingredients and allergen statement before making their drink. The Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose lime cordials described on their product pages list sodium metabisulphite or sulphites; a no-added-sugar claim does not answer the allergen question.
Tesco’s listing for Robinsons Orange No Added Sugar names aspartame and states that the product contains a source of phenylalanine. If that warning matters to you, check it on the exact bottle rather than assuming every orange squash has the same formulation.
Only when the figures use a comparable basis. Several no-added-sugar listings give sugars for a diluted drink, while Marks & Spencer gives 4.9 g sugars per 100 g of its Sicilian Lemon and Mexican Lime Cordial. Without a preparation ratio for the latter, those figures do not make a direct prepared-glass comparison.