Choose 100% orange juice if you want a juice serving and can keep fruit juice and smoothies to a combined total of no more than 150ml that day, as the NHS advises. Even unsweetened juice contains free sugars, so ‘no added sugar’ does not mean sugar-free. If avoiding free sugars is the priority, choose water or check the label of an alternative drink instead.
If you are picking up a quick drink, distinguish ‘no added sugar’ from zero sugar. The NHS counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars and advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day.
A larger pack can be poured into separate servings, but its volume does not change the NHS’s 150ml combined daily juice-and-smoothie guidance. Check how the exact product must be stored after opening.
Compare the ingredients, sugars on the nutrition panel, pack size and storage instructions of the exact products. A brand name alone does not tell you whether a drink is 100% orange juice or a juice drink.
Decide first whether you want 100% orange juice or an alternative drink, then compare the portion you expect to pour and the label on the exact pack.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portion size | Check the pack volume against the amount you plan to pour. The NHS advises no more than 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies combined per day. | I want orange juice, but a convenience bottle or household carton may contain more than I intend to drink in one day. |
| Sugar wording | Read the ingredients and ‘of which sugars’ line per 100ml. According to the NHS, sugars in unsweetened fruit juice count as free sugars even when none has been added. | If avoiding free sugars matters most to me, ‘no added sugar’ orange juice does not meet that aim. |
| Drink type | Check whether the product is 100% orange juice, juice from concentrate or a juice drink. Read the full ingredient list rather than relying on orange imagery or front-of-pack wording. | I might prefer a drink containing orange juice, but I do not want to mistake it for pure orange juice. |
| Storage | Check whether the unopened pack needs refrigeration and follow its own instructions after opening. The stated periods differ between the innocent, ASDA and M&S products described below. | For a fridge top-up, I want a pack my household can realistically use within its stated opened-pack period. |
Tropicana and innocent product information describes naturally occurring fruit sugars in their juices. The NHS also counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars.
Check both the ingredients and the sugars line. If avoiding free sugars is non-negotiable, choose water or check an alternative drink rather than assuming 100% juice is sugar-free.
The Tropicana Smooth Orange Juice bottle listed by Tesco Groceries contains 300ml. The NHS advises no more than 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies combined in a day.
Pour the amount you intend to drink and follow the pack’s instructions for storing any remainder.
Tesco Groceries lists four days after opening for innocent Smooth Orange Juice, ASDA lists five days for its Smooth Orange Juice, and M&S lists 24 hours for its Smooth Orange Juice 1200ml.
Read the storage instructions on the exact variant before choosing a pack size.
A larger pack may leave unused juice if it cannot be finished within its stated opened-pack period.
These examples show why the exact orange-juice product and pack matter more than a brand-wide assumption.
Tesco Groceries lists a 300ml Smooth Orange Juice for a small chilled top-up.
Tesco Groceries lists a 900ml Smooth Orange Juice with a stated 150ml serving.
ASDA Groceries lists a 1-litre Smooth Orange Juice made from concentrate.
M&S lists both a 1.2-litre Smooth Orange Juice and a 350ml Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice with Bits.
Sainsbury's lists a 1-litre Pure Orange Juice made from concentrate.
These are orange-flavoured juice drinks to consider if you are comparing drinks for a top-up shop. Neither should be treated as 100% orange juice; check each pack’s ingredients and sugars line against what you want to drink.
No image available
The four-bottle format allows you to take one bottle rather than open a larger carton. This is an orange juice drink, not 100% orange juice: check its ingredients, sweeteners and sugars line when comparing drinks. The product warning says its caps contain small parts and that it is unsuitable for children under 36 months.
No image available
Consider this carton if you want an orange-flavoured multi-fruit drink rather than pure orange juice. Despite the ‘100% Orange Juice’ wording in its original product title, the product information describes a drink containing water and several fruit ingredients. Check the pack’s sugars line and after-opening storage instructions before choosing the 1L format.
No. ‘No added sugar’ does not mean that the juice contains no sugar: Tropicana and innocent product information describes naturally occurring fruit sugars. The NHS counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars.
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined total of no more than 150ml a day. Check the amount you pour rather than treating the full bottle or carton as one serving.
Bits alone do not establish a lower sugar figure. M&S lists 7.7g sugars per 100g for its Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice with Bits 350ml and 9.3g per 100g for its different Smooth Orange Juice 1200ml; those two labels do not establish a rule for all juices with bits or all smooth juices. Compare the exact products and their stated measurement units.
Check its storage requirements before and after opening, then choose a size you can use within the stated period. Tesco Groceries lists four days after opening for innocent Smooth Orange Juice, ASDA Groceries lists five days for ASDA Smooth Orange Juice, and M&S lists 24 hours for its Smooth Orange Juice 1200ml.