Choose a no-added-sugar squash in a flavour you would enjoy with dinner, then compare the nutrition for the diluted drink rather than the concentrate. Follow the bottle’s preparation directions and check the ingredients and warnings for the exact variety: fruit-derived sugars can remain even when no sugar has been added.
The useful distinction is not just flavour: how you prepare the drink and what its label says may matter just as much.
If you want squash without added sugars alongside a TV dinner, compare the sugars listed for a diluted glass. The front-of-pack claim alone does not tell you how much naturally occurring sugar the prepared drink contains.
If you make individual glasses or several drinks at once, check the directions for the particular bottle. Single-, double- and quadruple-strength products need not use the same amount of concentrate.
No-added-sugar squashes can use different sweeteners. If an ingredient, sulphite declaration or phenylalanine warning matters in your household, read the label for the exact flavour and bottle before serving it.
Start with the claim and the prepared-drink nutrition, then check how to dilute the squash and whether its ingredients suit the people drinking it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Added sugars | Look for the no-added-sugar claim, then read “of which sugars” for the prepared drink. Fruit-containing squash can still have naturally occurring sugars. | I want to avoid added sugars without assuming my glass contains no sugar at all. |
| Prepared drink | Compare nutrition per 100 ml diluted, or use prepared servings of the same size. Check the stated concentrate-to-water ratio before comparing figures. | For a glass with dinner, I care about what is in the drink I actually make, not just the concentrate in the bottle. |
| Ingredients | Read the exact variety’s sweeteners, allergen declarations and warnings. Robinsons Summer Fruits lists sucralose and acesulfame K; a Ribena Blackcurrant listing carries a phenylalanine warning. | Someone drinking this may need to avoid an ingredient or check a warning, so the current bottle label matters. |
| Flavour and format | Choose a flavour you want with the meal and follow that bottle’s dilution directions. Tesco lists quadruple-strength no-added-sugar varieties, while M&S describes its no-added-sugar Orange Squash as double strength. | I might make one quick glass or several drinks; the concentration and measuring directions affect my routine. |
Fruit ingredients can contribute naturally occurring sugars to squash labelled no added sugar.
Compare the “of which sugars” figure for the diluted drink rather than relying on the front label alone.
Nutrition figures depend on whether they describe undiluted squash or a drink made with water. The amount of concentrate used also affects the prepared glass.
Check the basis of each nutrition panel and follow the directions on each bottle before making a like-for-like comparison.
The Robinsons, M&S and Ribena examples list different sweeteners or warnings; some also declare sulphites.
Read the current label for the exact flavour and size, particularly when choosing a drink for someone with an allergy, intolerance or other ingredient restriction.
A listing may not reflect a subsequent recipe or labelling change.
Before serving the squash, check the bottle’s ingredients, warnings, nutrition information and preparation directions.
These brand and own-label examples show different flavours and concentrate formats; check an individual product label rather than applying one variety’s details to a whole range.
Its no-added-sugar squash range includes a Summer Fruits option for mixing a glass at home.
Its own-label listings include quadruple-strength no-added-sugar squash.
Its no-added-sugar examples include double-strength Orange Squash and a separate high-juice option.
A mixed-fruit no-added-sugar squash is another flavour option.
Its no-added-sugar Blackcurrant Squash provides a blackcurrant-flavoured option.
These squash concentrates offer different fruit flavours and bottle formats for making a drink alongside a TV dinner. Compare the label of the exact variety, especially when its prepared-drink nutrition or dilution directions matter to your choice.
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A Summer Fruits concentrate for making a glass with dinner. The product information gives 2 kcal per 100 ml diluted; Sainsbury’s directions for the matching 1 L variety say to mix one part concentrate with four parts water. It lists sucralose, acesulfame K and sulphites, so check the current pack if those ingredients matter to you.
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An orange-flavoured choice if you want a prepared-glass energy figure: the product information states 3 kcal per 250 ml diluted and 10% orange fruit from concentrate. Check the pack’s dilution directions and prepared-drink sugars before comparing it with another variety. It lists sucralose, acesulfame K and sulphites.
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A blackcurrant concentrate for preparing a drink at home. Its product information directs you to mix one part squash with at least four parts water; check the pack for nutrition on that diluted basis before comparing drinks. The listing names aspartame, acesulfame K, sucralose and sodium bisulphite, and carries an under-3 warning. Read the current label before serving it to a child.
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A pineapple and passion fruit option for a different flavour with dinner. The product information states 10% fruit juice, but its nutrition figures describe undiluted squash; check the pack’s preparation directions and diluted-drink values for a glass-to-glass comparison. It lists aspartame, acesulfame K and sulphites and carries a phenylalanine warning.
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A six-bottle lemon squash pack for households that regularly make drinks with meals. The product information states 10% lemon juice from concentrate; check the pack for dilution directions and prepared-drink nutrition before comparing glasses. It lists aspartame and acesulfame K and notes a phenylalanine source.
No. A no-added-sugar squash can contain naturally occurring sugars from fruit. Read “of which sugars” on the nutrition panel for the diluted drink; Waitrose & Partners, for example, lists 0.3 g sugars per 100 ml diluted for Vimto No Added Sugar Squash.
Compare the drink as prepared, using the same volume for each option. Sainsbury’s directions for Robinsons Summer Fruits and Waitrose & Partners’ directions for Vimto specify one part concentrate to four parts water, while Waitrose & Partners specifies at least four parts water for its listed Ribena Blackcurrant squash. Follow the directions for the bottle you choose.
Yes. The listed Robinsons Summer Fruits product contains sucralose and acesulfame K, while the listed Ribena Blackcurrant product contains aspartame. Check the ingredients of the exact variety if you prefer to avoid a particular sweetener.
Read the current bottle label for allergens and other warnings that matter to the person drinking it. The listed Robinsons Summer Fruits and M&S Orange products declare sulphites, and the listed Ribena Blackcurrant product carries a phenylalanine warning.