Choose still 100% orange juice when the canteen needs a juice serving; choose a sparkling orange soft drink when fizz is the priority. The two are not interchangeable: Tesco Groceries lists sparkling orange drinks containing 2.3% or 16% orange juice, so check the exact product’s ingredients and juice percentage. For unsweetened juice served with lunch, NHS guidance limits juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day.
If the lunch offer calls for juice, distinguish a product labelled 100% orange juice from an orange-flavoured fizzy drink. Sainsbury’s lists a 100% pure squeezed orange juice, while Tesco Groceries lists sparkling orange products with smaller proportions of juice.
A carbonated orange soft drink meets the preference for fizz, but its juice content, sugars and sweeteners depend on the product. Tesco Groceries lists examples containing 2.3% and 16% orange juice.
For an unsweetened juice option served with lunch, portion size matters. NHS guidance advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day and having them with meals.
Decide whether the lunch offer needs a juice serving or a fizzy drink before comparing individual packs. Then check the label for the details that affect serving and menu information.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Drink type | Read the product description, ingredients and orange-juice percentage. Tesco Groceries lists a Fanta sparkling fruit drink with 2.3% orange juice and a Sanpellegrino sparkling beverage with 16%; neither is 100% juice. | If I am ordering juice for the canteen, an orange-flavoured soft drink does not meet that specification. |
| Juice portion | Check the volume served, not just the bottle size. NHS guidance limits unsweetened juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day and advises having them with meals. | A measured serving helps me offer juice with lunch without treating a large bottle as one juice portion. |
| Sugars | Compare sugars per 100ml and per container, noting the container sizes. Tesco Groceries lists 22g sugars per 500ml Fanta bottle and 14.5g per 330ml Sanpellegrino can; those are different serving volumes. | I want the information for the amount people will actually be served, as well as a common per-100ml basis for comparison. |
| Sweeteners and ingredients | Read the current ingredient list for sweeteners, added sugar and juice content. Marks & Spencer describes its Diet Orange Crush as a sparkling drink with sweeteners. | If a sparkling choice is needed, I want its menu description to reflect what is in that particular drink. |
A drink can contain orange juice without being orange juice. Tesco Groceries lists sparkling orange drinks containing 2.3% and 16% juice.
Write the canteen requirement as either 100% orange juice or a sparkling orange soft drink, then check the juice percentage and ingredients of each product.
A bottle may hold considerably more than the 150ml combined daily amount NHS guidance gives for unsweetened juice and smoothies.
For a juice serving with lunch, plan a 150ml portion rather than using the full bottle as the serving measure.
Pack volume does not tell you whether a drink is 100% juice, how much juice a sparkling drink contains or its sugars per serving.
Choose the drink type first. Then compare ingredients, juice percentage, serving volume and sugars on the same measurement basis.
The product served needs to match the canteen’s drink description and ingredient information.
Before service, check the delivered pack’s ingredients, nutrition declaration, any declared allergens, storage instructions and best-before date.
These examples show why the exact product label matters; a brand name alone does not identify whether a drink is still juice or a sparkling soft drink.
Tropicana describes its Smooth Orange as still, 100% pure pressed juice, not from concentrate.
Tesco Groceries and Sainsbury’s list innocent smooth orange juice among their still-juice products.
Tesco Groceries lists own-label orange juice alongside branded still juices.
Sainsbury’s lists a 100% Pure Squeezed Smooth Orange Juice, Not From Concentrate, as well as branded still juices.
Marks & Spencer describes Sparkling Brazilian Orange as a carbonated spring-water drink with orange juice and Diet Orange Crush as a sparkling drink with sweeteners.
These options are for a fizzy orange drink with lunch, rather than a 100% orange-juice serving. Check each delivered pack for its ingredients and nutrition information before adding it to a canteen menu.
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The 24-can format is an option when lunch service needs individual fizzy orange drinks. Each can is 330ml; check the pack’s juice content, sugars and sweeteners rather than treating it as a juice serving.
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This eight-can pack is a fizzy orange option for individual service, not a 100% juice serving. Each can is 330ml; use this pack’s own label for juice percentage and sugars rather than figures for a different Fanta bottle.
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The 275ml bottle offers a smaller individual fizzy drink for lunch service than the 330ml options shown here. Check its orange-juice percentage and nutrition on the pack before comparing it with other drinks.
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This 330ml orange soda is another individual fizzy-drink option for lunch. Despite “juice” in its name, check the pack’s juice percentage and ingredients before deciding whether it meets the canteen’s specification.
No, not necessarily. Tesco Groceries describes its Fanta example as a sparkling fruit drink containing 2.3% orange juice and its Sanpellegrino example as a sparkling beverage containing 16%. By contrast, Tropicana describes Smooth Orange as 100% pure pressed juice. Check the exact drink’s description and ingredients.
A 150ml serving fits NHS guidance to limit fruit juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day and have them with meals. This is dietary guidance, not a universal legal serving-size rule for workplace canteens.
Do not assume it does. A sparkling orange soft drink can contain a small proportion of juice: Tesco Groceries lists examples with 2.3% and 16% orange juice. Check the specific product’s juice percentage and category against the canteen’s requirement.
Check whether the delivered product is juice or a soft drink, then read its juice percentage, ingredients, sugars per 100ml and per serving, sweeteners and pack volume. Check any declared allergens, storage instructions and best-before date on the delivered pack before service.