Choose 100% sparkling apple juice if juice content matters most, a sparkling drink diluted with water if you want some apple juice with a different sugar content, or an apple-flavoured fizzy drink if labelled sugar matters more than juice content. Compare sugars on the same per-100ml basis and check for sweeteners; if you plan to carry a drink through security, check the rules at your departure and transfer airports before buying it.
If you want to take a drink through security, container size and the airport matter. GOV.UK says that at most UK airports, containers larger than 100ml cannot pass security even when partly full; Heathrow Airport permits containers up to 2 litres at Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Check how much of the drink is apple juice. Coca-Cola GB describes Appletiser as 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate, while Cawston Press lists 49% pressed apple juice in its Sparkling Cloudy Apple drink.
Compare products per 100ml as well as by serving size. Cawston Press lists 4.3g sugars per 100ml for Sparkling Cloudy Apple; ASDA lists 0.8g per 100ml for Radnor Fizz Apple, which contains 8% apple juice and sucralose. Check the current pack when comparing Appletiser: Coca-Cola GB lists 10.2g per 100ml, while the Joybuy product information gives a different figure.
Start with the kind of apple drink you want, then compare its label and pack size against when and where you expect to drink it.
Choose it when: Apple juice, rather than an apple-flavoured soft drink, is the deciding feature.
Consider: No added sugar does not mean no sugars; compare the current label and the amount you intend to drink.
Choose it when: You want apple juice in the drink but do not require it to be 100% juice.
Consider: Juice percentage and sugars vary by product; Cawston Press Sparkling Cloudy Apple contains 49% pressed apple juice.
Choose it when: A lower labelled sugar figure matters more to you than a high apple-juice percentage.
Consider: Check the ingredients for sweeteners and the actual juice percentage; ASDA lists 8% apple juice and sucralose in Radnor Fizz Apple.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Check the container capacity and each airport on your journey. GOV.UK says the limit is 100ml at most UK airports even for partly full containers; Heathrow Airport permits up to 2 litres at Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5. | I plan to take a drink through screening, or I have a transfer where the rules may differ. |
| Apple-juice content | Read the product description and ingredients. Coca-Cola GB lists Appletiser as 100% carbonated apple juice; Cawston Press lists 49% pressed apple juice in Sparkling Cloudy Apple; ASDA lists 8% in Radnor Fizz Apple. | Is apple juice itself important to me, or would an apple-flavoured fizzy drink suit the occasion? |
| Sugars | Compare sugars per 100ml, then the serving you intend to have. Cawston Press lists 4.3g per 100ml and ASDA lists 0.8g per 100ml for their named drinks. Check Appletiser’s current pack before a numerical comparison because its product information gives differing figures. | I want to compare drinks on the same basis, not assume that a smaller can or a no-added-sugar description tells me the sugar amount. |
| Other ingredients | Check whether the ingredients list includes added sugar or sweeteners. ASDA lists sucralose in Radnor Fizz Apple; Marks & Spencer lists added sugar in Sparkling British Apple Spring Water. | Sweeteners or added sugar may change which type of apple drink I want with my food. |
| Pack size | Check the size of each can or bottle, not just the multipack total. Cawston Press lists 330ml cans, while Joybuy lists Appletiser in 250ml units; both exceed the 100ml container limit at most UK airport checkpoints. | I want one serving with a meal without buying a container I cannot take through my departure checkpoint. |
GOV.UK says that at most UK airports, the 100ml limit applies to the container, even if it is partly full. A 250ml or 330ml drink bought before screening therefore cannot pass a checkpoint applying that limit.
Check your departure and transfer airports before packing a drink. Heathrow Airport permits containers up to 2 litres at Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, but that does not set the rule elsewhere.
The named examples have different compositions: Coca-Cola GB lists Appletiser as 100% apple juice, Cawston Press lists 49% pressed apple juice in Sparkling Cloudy Apple, and ASDA lists 8% apple juice in Radnor Fizz Apple.
Read the product description and ingredients before comparing sugars or choosing a drink for its juice content.
The NHS counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars. Coca-Cola GB describes Appletiser as having no added sugar but lists sugars on its nutrition label.
Compare the current pack’s sugars per 100ml and your intended serving. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day.
A product sold through a UK retailer is not necessarily stocked in a particular airport terminal.
If you intend to buy after security, check the options at your departure terminal rather than relying on a general retail listing.
These named drinks illustrate different compositions; the figures apply to the products specified, not every drink made by each brand.
Coca-Cola GB describes Appletiser as 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate.
Sparkling Cloudy Apple combines pressed apple juice with sparkling water in a 330ml can, according to Cawston Press.
ASDA lists Radnor Fizz Apple as an apple-flavoured sparkling drink containing 8% apple juice from concentrate.
Marks & Spencer lists Sparkling British Apple Spring Water as a 330ml drink with carbonated spring water and 16% apple juice from concentrate.
These options include sparkling apple juice, mixed-fruit apple drinks and an apple-flavoured fizzy drink. Check each drink’s composition rather than treating them as interchangeable.
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A mixed-fruit sparkling option in 250ml units. Check the current label for juice content, sugars and sweeteners; each unit exceeds the container limit at most UK airport security checkpoints, according to GOV.UK.
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A sparkling apple-and-raspberry option in 250ml units. Check the pack if the proportion of each fruit, sugars or sweeteners affects your choice; GOV.UK says a 250ml container cannot pass security at most UK airports.
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For a sparkling drink made from 100% apple juice from concentrate, in 250ml units. Check the current pack’s sugars per 100ml before making a numerical comparison: the product information gives differing figures. GOV.UK says a 250ml container exceeds the limit at most UK airport checkpoints.
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An apple-flavoured fizzy drink to consider when juice content is not the main requirement. Check the current nutrition panel, juice percentage and sweeteners rather than relying on the product name alone. GOV.UK says a 330ml can exceeds the container limit at most UK airport checkpoints.
Not through a checkpoint applying the standard 100ml container limit. GOV.UK says this limit applies at most UK airports even when a container is partly full, so check your departure and any transfer airport before carrying a drink to security.
No. Heathrow Airport says liquids in containers up to 2 litres are permitted through security at Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5. Check other airports separately, including those used for a connection or return journey.
Buying after your departure checkpoint avoids having to take that drink through it. If you will pass through another checkpoint during a transfer, check that airport’s liquid rules before relying on the same container for the rest of your journey.
No. Coca-Cola GB describes Appletiser as having no added sugar but lists sugars on its nutrition label. Check the current pack’s per-100ml figure and serving size; the NHS also counts sugars in unsweetened fruit juice as free sugars.