Picnic planners comparing sugar labels
If you want a smoothie with lunch, the ‘of which sugars’ figure and the amount you intend to drink are more useful checks than a ‘no added sugar’ claim on its own.
Who is this for?
Parents packing children’s lunches
An individual pouch gives a defined portion. Check that pouch’s storage and drinking instructions rather than applying them to every chilled smoothie.
Shoppers checking ingredients and allergens
Smoothie recipes differ. Read the exact pack for ingredients, fibre, sugars and allergen statements before deciding whether it fits the lunch you are packing.
What should you check?
Start with the portion you will drink, then compare sugar labels and make a plan for carrying the product.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars | Read ‘of which sugars’ and its per-100ml or per-serving basis. Check the ingredients alongside any ‘no added sugar’ wording. | I want to know how much sugar is in the drink, rather than assume ‘no added sugar’ means zero sugar. |
| Portion size | Check the bottle or pouch volume and measure what you will drink. The NHS advises no more than 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies combined per day, with a meal. | A single portion is easier for me to plan than an opened large bottle, particularly if I am also packing juice. |
| Picnic storage | Read the exact product’s refrigeration and out-of-fridge instructions. The Food Standards Agency says foods normally kept in the fridge also need to be kept cool at a picnic. | I need to know how to carry the smoothie and what to do with any remainder after opening. |
| Ingredients | Compare fibre using the same label basis and read the full ingredients and allergen statement. Added vitamins do not replace these checks. | If ingredients or allergens matter for this lunch, I need the information for the particular recipe I am buying. |
Picnic smoothie mistakes to avoid
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Reading ‘no added sugar’ as ‘zero sugar’
A smoothie can contain sugars from fruit even when no sugar has been added. The Naked Gold Machine listing, for example, states no added sugar but lists 9.7g sugars per 100ml.
Compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure on the exact pack and note whether it is given per 100ml or per serving.
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Treating the whole bottle as one portion
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies together to 150ml a day, with a meal. Tesco lists five 150ml servings in the 750ml Innocent Mangoes, Passion Fruits & Apples bottle.
Measure a portion before the picnic, or plan how to share the bottle and keep any remainder as its label directs.
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Leaving a chilled smoothie in the sun
The Food Standards Agency says food normally kept refrigerated needs to stay cool at a picnic. A storage allowance on one product does not apply to another.
Use a cool bag or cool box for products that require refrigeration, and follow any out-of-fridge period stated on the exact pack.
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Assuming recipes have the same fibre or allergen profile
Sainsbury’s lists less than 0.1g fibre per 100ml for Naked Gold Machine, while Marks & Spencer lists 3.6g per 100g for Revitalise. Those figures use different weight and volume bases, so they are not a direct like-for-like comparison. Marks & Spencer also marks Revitalise unsuitable for people with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy.
Check the label’s measurement basis, ingredients and allergen statement for the bottle you intend to buy.
Smoothie brands and recipes
These examples show why the recipe and pack label matter more than the brand name alone.
Innocent
The listed range includes a 750ml fruit smoothie and individually portioned children’s pouches.
- Tesco lists five 150ml servings in the Mangoes, Passion Fruits & Apples 750ml bottle and describes its sugars as naturally occurring rather than added.
- ‘No added sugar’ does not mean zero sugar. Sainsbury’s states that the separate Innocent Kids Apples & Blackcurrants 150ml pouch can stay out of the fridge for up to 12 hours; check that exact pouch’s instructions.
Naked
Gold Machine is a 750ml fruit smoothie with a no-added-sugar claim.
- Sainsbury’s lists its nutrition per 100ml, making the label a starting point for comparing portions.
- That listing gives 9.7g sugars and less than 0.1g fibre per 100ml despite the no-added-sugar claim.
Mockingbird Raw
Tropical Greens is a 750ml smoothie with a no-added-sugar claim.
- Waitrose lists 1.8g fibre per 100ml for this recipe.
- The same listing gives 12g sugars per 100ml and says to keep the product refrigerated.
M&S Eat Well
Revitalise is a 350ml smoothie with nutrition stated by Marks & Spencer per 100g.
- Marks & Spencer lists 3.6g fibre per 100g.
- Its product page says to keep it refrigerated and marks it unsuitable for people with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy.
Joybuy smoothie options
These Joybuy options are Nootz coconut milk smoothies in two bottle sizes. For a picnic lunch, compare the portion you intend to drink with the NHS’s 150ml daily guidance for fruit juice and smoothies combined.
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Nootz Coconut Milk Smoothie Papaya 180ml
For a picnic lunch, the 180ml bottle needs portioning if you are following the NHS’s 150ml daily limit for fruit juice and smoothies combined. Check the current pack for its sugar and storage information.
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Nootz Coconut Milk Smoothie Passion Fruit 325ml
The 325ml bottle is larger than the NHS’s 150ml daily guidance for fruit juice and smoothies combined, so plan a measured portion with lunch if following that advice. Read the current pack for sugars, ingredients and storage directions.
Common questions
Does ‘no added sugar’ mean a smoothie has zero sugar?
No. Check the ‘of which sugars’ figure: Tesco’s listing for Innocent Mangoes, Passion Fruits & Apples says no sugar is added but describes naturally occurring sugars, while Sainsbury’s lists 9.7g sugars per 100ml for the no-added-sugar Naked Gold Machine.
How much smoothie should I plan for a picnic lunch?
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies together to a maximum of 150ml a day and having them with a meal. If you take a larger bottle, measure a portion and plan how you will store the remainder.
Does a chilled smoothie need a cool bag?
If its label requires refrigeration, keep it cool at the picnic: the Food Standards Agency says foods normally kept in the fridge need to stay cool outdoors. Check product-specific exceptions separately; Sainsbury’s states that its Innocent Kids Apples & Blackcurrants pouch can stay out of the fridge for up to 12 hours.
What if someone at the picnic has a wheat allergy or coeliac disease?
Check the exact smoothie’s ingredients and allergen statement. Marks & Spencer marks its Revitalise Super Smoothie unsuitable for people with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy; do not assume another recipe has the same ingredients or warning.