Takeaway diners comparing sugar figures
If your meal includes a sweet sauce, you may want to check the drink’s labelled sugars too. A fruit smoothie should not be treated as a zero-sugar drink.
Who is this choice for?
People who still want a fruit smoothie
If no added sugar matters to you, compare total sugars and serving size as well as the front-of-pack wording. The NHS counts naturally occurring sugars in smoothies as free sugars.
Hosts serving drinks to several people
A larger chilled bottle can be divided into measured glasses. For a smoothie made from frozen fruit, the liquid you blend with it also matters when checking the finished drink.
What should you check?
Decide whether you want a smoothie or a lower-sugar fruit-flavoured drink, then compare labels on the same per-100ml basis and check how much you intend to pour.
No-added-sugar smoothie
Choose it when: You want a fruit-based smoothie and plan to measure your serving.
Bear in mind: No added sugar does not mean no sugar; Tesco Groceries and Waitrose & Partners list 10g and 9.6g sugars per 100ml respectively for the Innocent examples reviewed.
Lower-sugar fruit-flavoured drink
Choose it when: The labelled sugar figure matters more to you than having a smoothie.
Bear in mind: A sweetened fruit juice drink is a different format. Tesco Groceries lists Oasis Zero Sugar Exotic Fruits at 0.1g sugars per 100ml; check its ingredients if sweeteners matter to you.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar labelling | Read “of which sugars” per 100ml, then check the amount you will drink. No added sugar and zero sugar describe different things; the NHS counts smoothie sugars as free sugars. | I want to know how much sugar is in the drink, not just whether sugar was added. |
| Drink format | Check whether the ingredients describe a fruit smoothie or a fruit-flavoured juice drink with sweeteners. For a fruit-and-vegetable smoothie, check its own sugar figure rather than judging by the vegetable content. | A smoothie’s fruit-based format matters to me, or I would rather choose a drink with a lower labelled sugar figure. Waitrose & Partners lists Innocent Fruit + Veg at 9.6g sugars per 100ml. |
| Portion size | Check the bottle size and measure what you pour. NHS guidance says the combined daily total of fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies should be no more than 150ml. | With a takeaway, I would rather pour one measured glass than treat a large bottle as one serving. |
| Serving and storage | For a chilled bottle, follow its refrigeration and after-opening instructions. For frozen fruit, check the ingredients and nutrition information for the liquid added to the blender. | If I am serving several people or keeping leftovers, I need a format I can prepare and store as directed. |
Common buying mistakes
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Reading “no added sugar” as “zero sugar”
Tesco Groceries and Waitrose & Partners list 10g and 9.6g sugars per 100ml for the reviewed Innocent smoothies labelled as having no added sugar. The NHS counts sugars in smoothies as free sugars.
Check “of which sugars” on the nutrition panel and compare the serving you expect to drink.
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Treating a large bottle as one serving
A 750ml bottle is much larger than the NHS’s 150ml combined daily guidance for fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies.
Measure a 150ml glass and store the rest according to the pack instructions.
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Judging sugar by a green label or vegetable ingredients
Tesco Groceries lists Naked Green Machine at 8.8g sugars per 100ml, while Waitrose & Partners lists Innocent Fruit + Veg at 9.6g per 100ml. The name or colour does not give you the sugar figure.
Compare the exact drinks’ labelled sugars per 100ml.
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Assuming a fruit-flavoured drink is a smoothie
Tesco Groceries describes Oasis Zero Sugar Exotic Fruits as a fruit juice drink with sweeteners, not a fruit-purée smoothie.
Choose by both the product type and its nutrition panel, rather than treating the two formats as interchangeable.
Relevant brands and ranges
Innocent
The reviewed fruit and Fruit + Veg smoothies are labelled as having no added sugar.
- The reviewed Fruit + Veg product is described by Waitrose & Partners as containing 25% vegetables.
- Waitrose & Partners lists 9.6g sugars per 100ml for Fruit + Veg; Tesco Groceries lists 10g per 100ml for Strawberries, Bananas & Apples. Neither figure is zero.
Naked
Green Machine is a ready-to-drink smoothie listed by Tesco Groceries.
- Its listing provides a per-100ml nutrition panel for comparison.
- Tesco Groceries lists 8.8g sugars and 0g fibre per 100ml for this product; its green ingredients do not make it a zero-sugar drink.
M&S Food
M&S Food lists ready-made smoothies in 350ml and 750ml bottles.
- The two bottle sizes offer different ways to plan servings.
- M&S Food lists 12.9g sugars per 100g for its Mango, Pineapple and Passion Fruit Smoothie. Check the current pack when comparing nutrition information.
Waitrose
Waitrose & Partners offers a frozen tropical fruit mix for making a smoothie at home.
- The reviewed mix provides a fruit base that can be portioned before blending.
- Waitrose & Partners suggests blending 80g of the mix with 150ml apple juice; the juice you use affects the finished drink’s sugar content.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's has a no-added-sugar smoothie category and lists chilled Innocent smoothies.
- Its Innocent Strawberries, Bananas & Apples listing is for a 250ml bottle.
- Sainsbury's lists 10g sugars per 100ml for that drink despite the no-added-sugar wording; check individual products rather than assuming the category is zero sugar.
Joybuy fruit-drink options
These no-added-sugar Ribena drinks are alternatives for a takeaway night when the labelled sugar figure matters more to you than having a fruit smoothie. One comes in ready-to-serve cartons; the other is a squash that needs diluting. Neither is a smoothie.
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Ribena Strawberry No Added Sugar Cartons 24x250ml
Individual cartons offer a ready-to-serve fruit juice drink rather than a smoothie. The product listing gives 0g sugars per 100ml and identifies sweeteners, including aspartame; it also states that the drink contains a source of phenylalanine. Check the current label if ingredients or dietary requirements affect your choice, and follow its instruction to drink on the day of opening.
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Ribena Conc Blackcurrant No Added Sugar 1.5L
This concentrated squash is a make-to-serve alternative, not a smoothie, and must be diluted before drinking. The listing instructs you to mix 50ml squash with at least four parts water and gives a sugar figure of 0g per 100ml. Its ingredients include aspartame, acesulfame K, sucralose and sodium bisulphite; check the current label if any of these affect your choice.
Questions about smoothies and sugar
Does “no added sugar” mean a smoothie has no sugar?
No. Tesco Groceries and Waitrose & Partners list 10g and 9.6g sugars per 100ml for the reviewed Innocent smoothies labelled as having no added sugar. The NHS counts sugars in smoothies as free sugars even when they occur naturally in the ingredients.
How much smoothie should I pour with a takeaway?
The NHS advises that fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies together should total no more than 150ml a day. Measure a 150ml glass rather than treating a large bottle as one serving.
What if I want a drink with a lower sugar figure instead?
Compare labelled sugars per 100ml and check the product type. Tesco Groceries lists Oasis Zero Sugar Exotic Fruits at 0.1g sugars per 100ml, but describes it as a fruit juice drink with sweeteners, not a smoothie.
Can frozen fruit mix help me control what goes into a smoothie?
It lets you choose the liquid you blend with the fruit, so check that liquid’s label too. Waitrose & Partners suggests mixing 80g of its Tropical Smoothie Mix with 150ml apple juice; the finished drink’s sugar content depends in part on the juice used.