Travellers cutting back on sugar
Pure orange juice, no-added-sugar squash and sugar-free soft drinks are different choices. Check the sugars figure and drink type rather than relying on an orange flavour or a front-of-pack claim.
Who needs to check the label?
Travellers choosing a drink with food
If you want juice with an airport meal, portion size matters. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to one small 150ml glass a day and having it with a meal.
Travellers tracking carbohydrate intake
Pure juice and drinks labelled no added sugar should not be assumed to be sugar-free. Diabetes UK notes that sugars in fruit juice count towards free-sugar intake; check the product’s nutrition information against any individual dietary plan you follow.
What matters when choosing a drink?
Decide whether you want pure juice, a drink you can dilute, or something ready to drink without a juice portion. Then compare the sugars information, serving size and container against your journey.
100% orange juice
Choose it when: You want pure juice with food and can keep to the NHS’s 150ml daily juice-and-smoothie limit.
Bear in mind: No added sugar does not remove the fruit’s sugars; Tropicana lists 13g sugars in 150ml of its Smooth Orange juice.
No-added-sugar orange squash
Choose it when: You want an orange-flavoured drink that you can prepare according to its dilution instructions, rather than pure juice.
Bear in mind: No added sugar does not mean sugar-free. M&S Mediterranean Orange High Juice contains naturally occurring sugars, sucralose and sulphites.
Water or a sugar-free drink
Choose it when: Avoiding sugar is more important than having a portion of fruit juice; water is also the NHS’s recommended drink for replacing fluids.
Bear in mind: An orange-flavoured soft drink is not necessarily orange juice, and a no-added-sugar claim is not the same as a sugar-free label.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar claims | Identify whether it is 100% juice, squash or a soft drink. Read sugars per serving and per 100ml or 100g, alongside ingredients and any dilution instructions. | I want to know what an orange drink contains, not just what its front label calls it. In the Food Standards Agency’s 2024 tracker, 49% of 611 interviewees said they actively used traffic-light labelling when shopping for food; that measures general food shopping, not airport-drink preferences. |
| Juice portion | Check the bottle size and sugars per serving. The NHS advises no more than one 150ml glass of fruit juice or smoothies a day, taken with a meal. | A bottle may hold more juice than I want with one meal. Tropicana Smooth Orange lists 13g sugars per 150ml, so I would check the portion before drinking the whole bottle. |
| Airport security | Check your departure and transfer airports’ liquid rules and the container size. GOV.UK says containers larger than 100ml cannot pass through security at most UK airports, although some airports allow larger containers. | If I need a drink before boarding, buying it after security avoids having to take that purchase through the departure screening point. |
Common buying mistakes
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Reading “no added sugar” as “sugar-free”
Tropicana Smooth Orange has no added sugar but lists 13g sugars per 150ml. M&S also says its no-added-sugar Mediterranean Orange High Juice contains naturally occurring sugars.
Read the sugars line and identify whether the drink is juice, a squash to dilute, or a soft drink.
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Using a large juice bottle as a hydration drink
Finishing a bottle larger than 150ml would exceed the NHS’s recommended daily juice-and-smoothie portion.
If choosing juice, plan a 150ml portion with food. Choose water or check a sugar-free drink if replacing fluids is the main aim.
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Buying a large container before security
GOV.UK says containers larger than 100ml cannot pass through security at most UK airports, though rules differ between airports.
Check the rules for your departure airport and any transfer, or buy your drink after security.
A container above the applicable limit may have to be left at screening.
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Assuming a supermarket listing means airport stock
A grocery catalogue does not tell you what a particular terminal shop will have when you travel.
Check the drink’s label and the shop’s selection on the day rather than planning around a supermarket listing.
Relevant brand references
These brands illustrate different orange-drink labels and formats; their inclusion does not establish what a particular airport shop stocks.
Tropicana
Its Smooth Orange On the Go range provides an example of ready-to-drink 100% orange juice.
- Tropicana describes Smooth Orange as pure pressed juice, not from concentrate, with no added sugar.
- The brand lists naturally occurring sugars, including 13g per 150ml; it is not a zero-sugar drink.
Innocent
Innocent lists juices among its fruit-based drinks.
- The brand says it does not add sugar to its drinks.
- For a particular orange juice, check its own nutrition panel: a statement about added sugar does not establish its total sugars.
Tesco
A Tesco grocery catalogue has listed own-label orange juice alongside Tropicana and Innocent products.
- The catalogue included 300ml Tropicana orange-juice variants, illustrating a bottle size to compare with a 150ml juice portion.
- A grocery listing does not establish stock at a specific airport terminal.
M&S
M&S provides examples of both pure orange juice and a different, no-added-sugar orange high-juice squash.
- Its Pure Squeezed Orange Juice Smooth lists 9.3g sugars per 100g, while Mediterranean Orange High Juice lists 1.1g per 100g as sold. These are different product types, not like-for-like prepared servings.
- The high-juice squash contains sucralose and sulphites and needs to be assessed as a drink to dilute, not as plain juice.
Orange-flavoured options on Joybuy
These options cover ready-to-drink orange-flavoured soft drinks and a squash to dilute, rather than 100% orange juice. Compare the pack format and current label with what you need for your journey.
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Tango Orange Sugar Free, 8 × 330ml
A ready-to-drink orange-flavoured option rather than pure orange juice. Its listed nutrition panel gives 0g sugars per 100ml and per 330ml can; the drink contains 4% orange juice concentrate and sweeteners. This is an eight-can pack, and the 330ml containers exceed the limit used at most UK airport security checkpoints.
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Fruitshoot Orange Low Sugar, 8 × 200ml
The individual bottles provide a ready-to-drink orange option, but this is not identified as 100% juice or sugar-free. The listed panel gives 1.2g sugars per 100ml, and the drink contains sweeteners. Each 200ml bottle is above the container limit at most UK airport security checkpoints; the product information also warns that its cap has small parts and that it is unsuitable for children under 36 months.
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Capri-Sun Zero Orange, 8 × 200ml
These ready-to-drink pouches contain 8% fruit juice from concentrate, rather than being pure orange juice. The listed nutrition panel gives 0.6g sugars per 100ml, which conflicts with the zero-sugar wording in the description; check the current pack before treating it as sugar-free. Each 200ml pouch exceeds the container limit at most UK airport security checkpoints. The product information warns that the straw is a choking hazard and that the drink is unsuitable for children under 3 years.
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Fanta Orange Zero Sugar, 8 × 330ml
This orange-flavoured soft drink contains 4% orange juice from concentrate and sweeteners; it is not pure orange juice. Its listed nutrition panel gives 0.4g sugars per 100ml despite the Zero Sugar title, so check the current pack rather than assuming the sugars value is zero. The 330ml cans exceed the container limit at most UK airport security checkpoints.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Orange Squash, 1L
This is a concentrated orange squash for someone who can prepare a drink, not a ready-to-drink juice; follow its dilution instructions and do not drink it undiluted. The product information notes naturally occurring sugars and lists sweeteners and sulphites, so no added sugar should not be read as sugar-free. Its 1L container exceeds the limit used at most UK airport security checkpoints.
Questions about juice and airport travel
Does “no added sugar” orange juice mean it is sugar-free?
No. Tropicana says its Smooth Orange juice has no added sugar but lists 13g naturally occurring sugars per 150ml. M&S also says its no-added-sugar Mediterranean Orange High Juice contains naturally occurring sugars. Check the sugars figure for the particular drink.
How much orange juice should I plan for with airport food?
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to one small 150ml glass a day and having it with a meal. If you buy a larger bottle, check its serving information rather than assuming the whole bottle is one juice portion.
Can I take orange juice through UK airport security?
At most UK airports, liquids in containers larger than 100ml cannot pass through security, according to GOV.UK. Some airports permit larger containers, so check the rules for your departure and any transfer airport; buying a drink after security avoids taking that purchase through departure screening.
What if I track carbohydrates for diabetes?
Check the drink’s carbohydrate and sugars information rather than assuming pure juice or a no-added-sugar product fits your plan. Diabetes UK notes that sugars in fruit juice count towards free-sugar intake. Follow your own care team’s instructions for individual diabetes decisions.
Is no-added-sugar orange squash suitable for everyone?
Check the ingredients of the specific squash. M&S Mediterranean Orange High Juice contains sucralose and sulphites, which matter if you avoid those ingredients; read the current pack label before buying.