Takeaway diners watching drink sugars
If your order includes sweet-and-sour, sweet chilli or some curry sauces, the NHS advises watching out for sugar in those dishes. The drink is another choice to consider alongside them.
Who is this choice for?
The useful starting point is whether you want pure juice or an orange-flavoured drink to have alongside the meal.
Shoppers who want 100% orange juice
Pure juice may be the product you want, but “no added sugar” does not mean it contains no sugars. Check the serving size and the “of which sugars” figure before pouring.
Shoppers considering an orange alternative
Squash, high juice and ready-to-drink orange drinks are different products from 100% juice. If you are choosing by the sugar figure, check the prepared serving, ingredients and any dilution directions.
What should you compare?
Decide which type of drink you want before comparing sugar figures: a juice, a drink you dilute, and a ready-to-drink product need different label checks.
100% orange juice
Choose it when: You want orange juice itself and are content with a measured glass alongside the meal.
Bear in mind: The NHS counts sugars in unsweetened juice as free sugars, even when no sugar has been added.
Orange squash or high juice
Choose it when: You are happy with a prepared orange drink rather than pure juice and want to compare its labelled sugar figure.
Bear in mind: Follow the dilution directions; “no added sugar” can still appear on a product containing naturally occurring sugars, as the M&S Mediterranean Orange High Juice label makes clear.
Ready-to-drink orange drink
Choose it when: You want a drink that needs no preparation and its particular ingredients and nutrition panel suit your choice.
Bear in mind: “Orange juice drink” is not a lower-sugar claim: Joybuy’s Minute Maid Orange Juice Drink ingredient listing includes sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Drink type | Check whether the label says 100% juice, squash, high juice or juice drink. Read the ingredient list to distinguish juice from a drink made with juice and other ingredients. | I want to know whether I am buying orange juice itself or an orange-flavoured alternative. |
| Sugars | Read “of which sugars” and its measurement basis. For a drink that needs diluting, check whether the figure describes the concentrate or the prepared drink; “no added sugar” is not the same as zero sugars. | If I am choosing a drink by its sugar figure, I need a figure that applies to the drink as I will serve it. |
| Serving | Check the pack’s serving size and the amount you intend to pour. Tropicana Smooth Orange lists 8.6g sugars per 100ml and 13g for its stated 150ml serving. | A measured glass of juice suits me better than repeatedly refilling it with the meal. |
| Ingredients | Check for added-sugar ingredients, sweeteners and allergens relevant to you. Follow any preparation directions on squash or high juice. | I may prefer a different drink once I have seen what it contains and how it should be prepared. |
| Meal choice | Consider the sauce as well as the drink. The NHS notes that sweet-and-sour, sweet chilli and some curry sauces can be higher in sugar. | With a sweet-sauced takeaway, I may choose a measured juice serving or compare lower-sugar orange drinks. |
What is easy to overlook?
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Reading “no added sugar” as “zero sugar”
Unsweetened juice still contains sugars that the NHS counts as free sugars. Tropicana Smooth Orange, for example, lists 13g sugars in its stated 150ml serving.
Read the “of which sugars” figure alongside the serving size instead of relying on the front-of-pack wording.
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Comparing squash with juice as if they were the same drink
A high juice or squash is prepared and served differently from 100% juice, so its label figure may need interpreting in light of the dilution directions.
Decide which drink type you want, then check whether the nutrition figure applies before or after dilution.
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Assuming a juice drink is a diet option
A juice drink can include added-sugar ingredients. Joybuy’s Minute Maid Orange Juice Drink listing includes sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.
Use both the ingredient list and the nutrition panel when choosing a ready-to-drink orange product.
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Forgetting the sauces when choosing a drink
The NHS flags sweet-and-sour, sweet chilli and some curry sauces as takeaway choices that can be higher in sugar.
If that matters to your choice, measure a juice serving or compare the labels of alternative drinks rather than pouring repeated glasses without checking.
Relevant brand references
These examples illustrate label differences between juice and orange alternatives; they do not imply that every product from a brand has the same ingredients.
Tropicana
Tropicana Smooth Orange is an example to check when you want pure orange juice.
- Tropicana lists 8.6g sugars per 100ml and 13g per stated 150ml serving for Smooth Orange.
- Its no-added-sugar wording should not be read as a zero-sugar claim.
M&S
M&S provides examples of two distinct choices: Smooth Orange Juice and Mediterranean Orange High Juice.
- M&S lists 9.3g sugars per 100g for Smooth Orange Juice.
- Its No Added Sugar Mediterranean Orange High Juice says it contains naturally occurring sugars; it is not 100% orange juice.
Tesco
Tesco lists No Added Sugar High Juice Orange among its high-juice products.
- This is a squash or high-juice route to consider if you want an orange drink rather than pure juice.
- Check the product pack for its sugar figure, ingredients and dilution directions before comparing it with another drink.
Innocent
Innocent’s explanation of fruit sugars is a reminder to assess juices and smoothies by their labels, not by fruit imagery alone.
- Innocent says its juices and smoothies contain sugars from fruit.
- Fruit-derived sugars do not make a juice a zero-sugar drink.
Orange drink options on Joybuy
These options cover orange squash and ready-to-drink orange alternatives for takeaway night, rather than 100% orange juice. Check each pack when its sugar declaration or ingredients matter to your choice.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Orange Squash 1L
Consider this if you want to prepare orange squash with your meal rather than pour pure juice. Dilute it as directed and do not drink it undiluted; check the prepared drink’s sugar declaration and ingredients.
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Fruitshoot Orange Low Sugar 8 × 200ml
The eight 200ml bottles offer a ready-to-drink orange option rather than 100% juice. Check the nutrition panel when comparing sugars; the listing warns that the small caps are unsuitable for children under 36 months.
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Tango Orange Sugar Free 8 × 330ml
Choose this format if you want individual cans of a fizzy orange soft drink, not juice or squash. Check the current nutrition and ingredient labels if a particular sugar figure or sweetener matters to you.
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Fanta Orange Zero Sugar 8 × 330ml
These ready-to-drink cans are a fizzy orange option rather than pure juice. The listing’s nutrition table gives 0.4g sugars per 100ml despite “Zero Sugar” in the name, so check the current pack before relying on that claim.
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Capri-Sun Zero Orange 8 × 200ml
The single-serve pouches are an orange drink option, not pure juice. The listing’s nutrition table gives 0.6g sugars per 100ml despite its zero-sugar wording; check the current pack. The listing also warns that the straw is a choking hazard and says the drink is unsuitable for children under 3 years.
Common questions
Does “no added sugar” mean orange juice is sugar-free?
No. The NHS counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars. Tropicana Smooth Orange lists 8.6g sugars per 100ml, while M&S says its No Added Sugar Mediterranean Orange High Juice contains naturally occurring sugars.
How much orange juice should I pour with Chinese takeaway?
Pour a measured serving rather than relying on the words “no added sugar” to judge the drink. For a concrete label reference, Tropicana Smooth Orange states 13g sugars in its 150ml serving; check the serving and sugar figures on the juice you choose.
Does a sweet-sauced takeaway rule out orange juice?
No, but it makes the drink worth considering alongside the meal. The NHS notes that sweet-and-sour, sweet chilli and some curry sauces can be higher in sugar; you can measure a juice serving or compare alternative drinks by their prepared-drink labels.
What should I check on an orange squash or high juice?
Check the dilution directions, whether nutrition values describe the concentrate or prepared drink, and the ingredients relevant to you. “No added sugar” does not necessarily mean zero sugars: M&S says its No Added Sugar Mediterranean Orange High Juice contains naturally occurring sugars.