For a flavoured drink with a TV dinner, no-added-sugar squash is an option if you want to cut free sugars from the drink: the NHS lists sugar-free, diet and no-added-sugar drinks as alternatives to sugary squash. Choose water if you would rather avoid both sweeteners and sugars from the drink. If fruit character matters, compare the ingredients and prepared-drink nutrition: no-added-sugar squashes differ in juice content, sweeteners and listed sugars.
If you usually have sugary squash with dinner, the NHS suggests water or sugar-free, diet or no-added-sugar drinks as alternatives. Check the nutrition for the drink as prepared, not just the wording on the front of the bottle.
A no-added-sugar claim does not tell you how much fruit juice a squash contains or which sweeteners it uses. Compare the exact flavour's ingredients and listed sugars if those differences affect your choice.
Check each bottle for sulphites, sweeteners and any phenylalanine warning that matters to the person drinking it. Dilution and after-opening instructions also differ between products.
Start with the drink you want in your glass, then compare the exact product's ingredients, prepared-serving nutrition and dilution directions.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars in the drink | Compare total sugars for a stated diluted serving and check its size. Tesco Groceries lists 0g per 250ml diluted serving for Robinsons Orange and 0.5g per 300ml prepared glass for Tesco Tropical; these are different serving sizes. | I want a flavoured alternative to sugary squash with dinner. If I want neither sugars nor sweeteners from the drink, I can choose water. |
| Sweeteners | Read the ingredients rather than treating “no added sugar” as “no sweeteners”. Tesco Groceries lists sucralose and acesulfame K in its Robinsons Orange example; Waitrose & Partners lists steviol glycosides in Belvoir Lemon & Lime cordial. | The type of sweetener matters to me, so I want to identify it before choosing a flavour. |
| Fruit content | Check the juice percentage and the sugars figure separately. Marks & Spencer lists 20% real fruit for its Orange Squash and 50% fruit juice for Pink Grapefruit High Juice; the latter lists 1.0g sugars per 100g. | I would choose a fruit-forward flavour, but I do not want to assume that more juice means no listed sugars. |
| Dilution and warnings | Follow the ratio on the bottle and read its current ingredient warnings. Tesco Groceries specifies 1 part Robinsons Orange concentrate to 4 parts water, but 1 part Tesco Tropical to 19 parts water. | If I am serving several people, I need to check the finished drink and any ingredients or warnings relevant to them. |
Products carrying the claim can still list sugars from their ingredients and can contain sweeteners. Marks & Spencer's Pink Grapefruit High Juice, for example, lists 1.0g sugars per 100g and sucralose.
Read both the total-sugars figure and the ingredients on the exact bottle, using the prepared-drink figure where one is given.
A serving made at a different strength will not match the stated prepared-serving figures. Tesco Groceries gives different dilution ratios for Robinsons Orange and Tesco Quadruple Strength Tropical.
Follow each bottle's directions and compare servings on a like-for-like volume basis where the labels allow it.
Some listed squashes contain sulphites, while Waitrose & Partners' Ribena Blackcurrant No Added Sugar listing carries a phenylalanine warning. These details matter when an ingredient needs to be avoided.
Check the current bottle before serving it to someone with a relevant allergy, intolerance or dietary restriction. GOV.UK says regulated allergens present in prepacked drinks must be clearly identified in the ingredients list.
After-opening directions vary. Waitrose & Partners instructs shoppers to refrigerate Belvoir Lemon & Lime cordial after opening and use it within three weeks.
Check the instructions on the bottle and consider how often your household will use it.
A bottle used only occasionally may go unused before its stated after-opening period ends.
These examples show label differences worth checking; a brand name alone does not establish the ingredients or nutrition of another flavour.
For its Orange No Added Sugar Squash 1L, Tesco Groceries specifies a 1:4 concentrate-to-water ratio and lists 0g sugars per 250ml diluted serving.
Tesco Groceries describes its Tropical No Added Sugar 1.5L squash as quadruple strength, with 100 stated servings and a 1:19 dilution ratio.
Marks & Spencer lists 20% real fruit for its Orange Squash and 50% fruit juice for its Pink Grapefruit High Juice.
Waitrose & Partners describes Ribena Blackcurrant No Added Sugar as a concentrated drink with sweeteners.
Waitrose & Partners lists steviol glycosides from stevia in Belvoir Lemon & Lime No Added Sugar Cordial and gives a 1:6 mixing direction.
These orange, summer-fruit, blackcurrant and tropical-fruit squashes are options for a flavoured TV-dinner drink. Compare their own labels rather than assuming that flavours or pack sizes within a brand share the same prepared-drink figures.
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An orange squash for a flavoured dinner drink; Tesco Groceries lists 0g sugars and 3 kcal per 250ml diluted serving for this 1L product. Its ingredients include sucralose and acesulfame K. Check the current bottle's dilution and ingredient directions before serving.
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This six-bottle summer-fruit pack is an option if the household uses squash regularly. The product information names aspartame and saccharin and identifies sulphites and a source of phenylalanine. Check the current bottles' diluted-serving sugars, mixing directions and storage instructions before comparing it with another squash.
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For a blackcurrant-flavoured drink, the listed ingredients include 18% blackcurrant juice from concentrate. Directions say to mix 1 part squash with at least 4 parts water. The product information names several sweeteners and sodium bisulphite; check the current pack for nutrition for the prepared drink.
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This single bottle offers a summer-fruit alternative to the orange flavour. Its product information lists 10% fruit juices, sucralose, acesulfame K and sulphites, and gives 2 kcal per 100ml diluted drink. Check the current bottle for its dilution, sugars per prepared serving and after-opening directions.
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For a pineapple-and-passion-fruit flavour, its listed juice proportions are 9% pineapple and 1% passion fruit. The product information names aspartame, acesulfame K and sulphites and carries a phenylalanine warning. Follow the current bottle's mixing directions and check its prepared-drink nutrition.
No. Check total sugars as well as the no-added-sugar claim. Tesco Groceries lists 0g sugars per 250ml diluted serving for Robinsons Orange but 0.5g per 300ml prepared glass for Tesco Tropical; Marks & Spencer lists 1.0g per 100g for Pink Grapefruit High Juice. Those figures also use different serving bases.
Yes. Prepared-serving nutrition applies to the stated preparation. Tesco Groceries specifies 1 part Robinsons Orange concentrate to 4 parts water and 1 part Tesco Tropical to 19 parts water; using more concentrate changes what goes into a glass.
The examples here do, but they use different sweeteners. Tesco Groceries lists sucralose and acesulfame K for Robinsons Orange, while Waitrose & Partners lists steviol glycosides from stevia for Belvoir Lemon & Lime cordial. Read the exact bottle if sweetener choice matters to you.
Read the current bottle's ingredients, allergen information and warnings. Some of the listed squashes contain sulphites, and Waitrose & Partners' Ribena Blackcurrant No Added Sugar listing carries a phenylalanine warning. GOV.UK says regulated allergens present in prepacked drinks must be clearly identified in the ingredients list.
Follow the instructions for the particular bottle rather than assuming every squash has the same period. Waitrose & Partners says to refrigerate Belvoir Lemon & Lime cordial after opening and use it within three weeks; check the pack when choosing a size your household will use.