Shoppers who want pure orange juice
Look for 100% orange juice rather than an orange juice drink. A no-added-sugar claim does not remove the sugars naturally present in juice, so check the serving size as well as the bottle size.
Who is each type for?
For a portable lunch drink, the useful distinction is between pure juice, a ready-to-drink juice drink and squash that you prepare yourself.
Shoppers comparing labelled sugars
A juice drink or squash may be worth considering if its sugar figure matters more to you than 100% fruit content. Read the fruit percentage and ingredients alongside the nutrition panel, particularly if you prefer to avoid sweeteners.
People packing a reusable bottle
Squash can be diluted before you leave home. Check the pack’s preparation directions and ingredients rather than treating concentrate as a ready-to-drink bottle of orange juice.
What should you check?
100% orange juice
Choose it when: You want orange juice itself, with no added sugar, in a bottle you can take to lunch.
Bear in mind: The NHS says the naturally occurring sugars in unsweetened juice count as free sugars; a portable bottle may contain more than one serving.
Ready-to-drink juice drink
Choose it when: You want a sealed lunch drink and are comparing the sugar amount shown on the label.
Bear in mind: A juice drink can contain substantially less fruit than pure juice and may contain sweeteners.
Orange squash
Choose it when: You can make up a reusable bottle before leaving and want to compare prepared drinks by their labelled serving figures.
Bear in mind: Squash is concentrate, not a drink to take straight from its original bottle; follow its dilution directions.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the claim | Read the ingredients and the sugars figure per 100ml. According to the Advertising Standards Authority and CAP, “no added sugars” has conditions about ingredients added for sweetening; it does not mean zero total sugars. | “No added sugar” matters to me, but I also want to know how much sugar the finished drink contains. |
| Juice portion | Compare the bottle volume with its stated serving size. The NHS says sugars in unsweetened fruit juice count as free sugars, so the amount you pour or drink matters. | A portable bottle is convenient, but I do not want to assume the whole bottle is one serving. |
| Fruit and sweeteners | Check whether the label says 100% orange juice, juice drink or squash, then read the fruit percentage and sweeteners. For example, Sainsbury’s lists 8% fruit juice in its Fruit Slurps drink and 50% in its High Juice Orange Squash. | I want to decide whether fruit content or the labelled sugar amount matters more to me. |
| Lunch preparation | Check whether the product is ready to drink or concentrated. For squash, follow the pack’s dilution directions and compare nutrition for the prepared serving, not the concentrate. | If I am leaving in a hurry, I need a ready-to-drink pack; otherwise, I can make up a bottle beforehand. |
Common buying mistakes
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Reading “no added sugar” as “sugar-free”
Pure orange juice can have no added sugar and still contain naturally occurring sugars. The NHS counts the sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars.
Read the sugars figure and serving size on the pack, not only the claim on the front.
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Treating a juice drink as 100% juice
Sainsbury’s describes its Fruit Slurps Orange Juice Drink as containing 8% fruit juice and sweeteners. That is a different formulation from the 100% pressed juice described on Sainsbury’s Tropicana listing.
Decide whether you want pure juice or a juice drink before comparing their labels.
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Packing squash without preparing it
Squash is concentrate, and the nutrition for a prepared serving depends on the stated dilution. Sainsbury’s lists Robinsons Fruit & Barley Orange Squash nutrition after dilution at one part concentrate to four parts water.
Follow the directions on the squash you buy, or take a clearly labelled ready-to-drink product instead.
Preparing squash for lunch also means having water and a suitable bottle available before you leave.
Brand examples to help read the labels
These examples show how differently orange drinks can be formulated; a brand name alone does not establish fruit content, serving size or preparation method.
Tropicana
Sainsbury’s describes the Tropicana Pure Smooth Orange Fruit Juice 300ml bottle as 100% pressed juice, not from concentrate, with no added sugar.
- A portable example for shoppers looking specifically for 100% orange juice.
- It still contains naturally occurring sugars; check how much of the 300ml bottle you intend to drink.
innocent
Tesco describes innocent Smooth Orange Juice 900ml as 100% pure orange juice with no added sugar.
- A pure-juice option if you plan to pour a serving into a lunch bottle.
- The 900ml bottle is a multi-serve format rather than an individual lunch-sized pack.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s lists both a ready-to-drink Fruit Slurps Orange Juice Drink and a concentrated High Juice Orange Squash with no added sugar.
- The Fruit Slurps listing states 8% fruit juice and 1.8g sugars per 250ml bottle; the High Juice listing states 50% fruit juice and 2.4g sugars per prepared 250ml serving.
- Both are distinct from 100% orange juice, and the squash must be prepared before drinking.
M&S
Marks & Spencer describes its Mediterranean Orange High Juice as containing 50% fruit juice with no added sugar.
- Its stated fruit percentage helps distinguish this high-juice concentrate from 100% orange juice.
- Check the current pack for ingredients and preparation directions before making up a lunch bottle.
Robinsons
Sainsbury’s lists Robinsons Fruit & Barley Orange Squash No Added Sugar as a drink prepared by diluting concentrate.
- Its listing gives nutrition for the diluted drink and directions of one part concentrate to four parts water.
- Those figures describe the prepared squash, not undiluted concentrate or 100% orange juice.
Orange squash on Joybuy
This orange squash is an option for making up a reusable lunch bottle before you leave. Check its own pack directions rather than applying the dilution ratio from another squash.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Orange Squash 1L
For a reusable lunch bottle, prepare this squash according to its own dilution directions before leaving. Check the ingredient label if you avoid sweeteners or sulphites, and follow the pack’s storage instructions after opening.
Questions about orange drinks
Does “no added sugar” mean an orange drink is sugar-free?
No. The Advertising Standards Authority and CAP explain that the “no added sugars” claim concerns ingredients added for sweetening, not an absence of all sugars. The NHS says sugars naturally present in unsweetened fruit juice still count as free sugars, so check the sugars figure on the label.
Can I treat a whole portable juice bottle as one serving?
Check the serving information rather than assuming you can. A bottle’s total volume and its stated serving size are different measures; for example, Sainsbury’s lists the portable Tropicana Pure Smooth Orange Juice bottle as 300ml. The NHS says the naturally occurring sugars in unsweetened juice count as free sugars, making the amount you drink relevant.
Is a juice drink with sweeteners the same as 100% orange juice?
No. Sainsbury’s lists its Fruit Slurps Orange Juice Drink as containing 8% fruit juice and 1.8g sugars per 250ml bottle, while its Tropicana Pure Smooth listing describes 100% pressed juice. Compare fruit content, ingredients and the sugar figures if you are choosing between those different types of drink.
Can I take orange squash straight to lunch?
You can take it once you have prepared it according to its own label. Squash is concentrate: for example, Sainsbury’s gives the nutrition for Robinsons Fruit & Barley Orange Squash after dilution at one part concentrate to four parts water. Do not assume that ratio applies to a different product.