If you want ready-to-drink orange juice for a budget shop, start with 100% juice from concentrate and compare its unit price with other 100% juices. If you want a drink to dilute instead, no-added-sugar orange squash is a different choice: check its fruit content, sweeteners, dilution directions and sugars per prepared glass.
If you want a ready-to-drink carton, look for 100% orange juice in the ingredients rather than choosing by the word “orange” on the front. Sainsbury’s lists both from-concentrate and not-from-concentrate 100% juices.
No added sugar does not mean no sugars. The Tropicana and innocent 100% juices listed by Sainsbury’s contain naturally occurring sugars; diluted drinks can also contain sweeteners.
If a prepared orange drink suits the household better than ready-to-drink juice, check the fruit percentage and mixing instructions. Tesco’s High Juice and Sainsbury’s Fruit and Barley squash are not 100% orange juice.
Choose the drink type first, then compare labels using the serving and preparation instructions that apply to each product.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Drink type | Read the ingredients and fruit percentage. Sainsbury’s lists its Smooth Pure Orange Juice as 100% orange juice from concentrate; Tesco lists its No Added Sugar High Juice Orange as a 50% juice drink that needs diluting. | I want a carton of actual orange juice, not a concentrated drink that needs water added. |
| Sugars | Compare the sugars figure for the stated serving, and check whether sweeteners are listed. Sainsbury’s lists 12.0g sugars per 150ml of its 100% from-concentrate juice, while Tesco lists 2.2g per prepared 250ml glass of its High Juice; those are different products and serving sizes. | No added sugar matters to me, but I also want to know how much sugar is in the drink as served. |
| Comparable quantity | Compare unit prices between ready-to-drink juices. For squash, check the stated dilution ratio and the number of prepared servings rather than comparing bottle sizes directly. | I’m weighing up what the pack provides after preparation, not just the size printed on the bottle. |
| Portions and storage | Check the pack’s instructions after opening and whether the household will finish it in time. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined total of no more than 150ml a day. | A pack size I can finish after opening matters, and I want to keep juice servings in perspective. |
Sainsbury’s 100% orange juice is ready to drink, whereas Tesco High Juice is a concentrated drink made with 50% juice from concentrate and intended for dilution.
Check the ingredients, fruit percentage and preparation instructions before treating two orange drinks as substitutes.
Sainsbury’s lists naturally occurring sugars in both its Tropicana and innocent 100% orange juices, despite their no-added-sugar statements.
Read the sugars figure for the stated serving. The NHS advises no more than a combined 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies a day.
Tesco instructs shoppers to mix one part High Juice with four parts water; its nutrition figure is for a prepared 250ml glass, not undiluted squash.
Use ready-to-drink unit prices for juice comparisons, and check dilution and prepared-serving information for squash.
Opening and storage instructions affect how long a household has to use a juice carton.
Choose a pack size that fits your usual use, and follow its own refrigeration and after-opening directions.
Juice left beyond its stated after-opening period may go to waste.
Its listed range includes 100% orange juice from concentrate, a not-from-concentrate juice and a no-added-sugar Fruit and Barley orange squash.
Tesco No Added Sugar High Juice Orange is a concentrated drink for dilution, rather than a ready-to-drink carton of orange juice.
The Smooth Orange with No Bits listing at Sainsbury’s describes a 100% pressed, not-from-concentrate juice.
Its Pure Orange Juice with Bits is listed by Sainsbury’s as a chilled 100% fruit juice with no added sugar.
M&S lists both a Mediterranean Orange High Juice drink and a separate Smooth Orange Juice.
This Joybuy option is an orange squash for dilution. It suits a search for a no-added-sugar orange drink, not one for ready-to-drink 100% orange juice.
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This is a no-added-sugar orange squash to dilute, not ready-to-drink 100% orange juice. Check the pack’s dilution directions and nutrition information for the prepared drink.
No. Sainsbury’s listings say that the Tropicana and innocent 100% orange juices have no added sugar but contain naturally occurring sugars. Their listed figures are 13g and 12g respectively per 150ml serving.
No. Tesco No Added Sugar High Juice Orange is a 50% juice-from-concentrate drink to dilute, while Sainsbury’s Fruit and Barley Orange No Added Sugar contains 10% fruit and sweeteners. Neither is 100% ready-to-drink orange juice.
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined total of no more than 150ml a day. That guidance also applies when a 100% juice has no added sugar.
Check its after-opening storage instructions before choosing a pack size, then consider how quickly your household will finish it. Follow the refrigeration and use-within directions on the carton you buy.