Choose 100% sparkling apple juice if the apple juice itself matters most; a 150ml Appletiser can is sized for one meal, but ASDA lists 10.5g sugars per 100ml. If you would rather have a mixed-fruit drink or a bottle to share, check the juice content, sugars and sweeteners: the reviewed J2O Spritz and M&S apple-and-elderflower drink are different drinks, not pure apple juice. NHS guidance is to have fruit juice with a meal and limit juice and smoothies combined to 150ml a day.
Start with how many people will drink it and whether you want juice or an apple-based soft drink.
A 150ml can avoids opening a large bottle for one glass. ASDA lists its Appletiser can as 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate; 150ml also matches the NHS daily limit for fruit juice and smoothies combined.
A larger bottle can serve several glasses, but decide whether everyone wants pure apple juice. The reviewed J2O apple-and-watermelon spritz and M&S apple-and-elderflower drink contain other ingredients and flavours.
Read the ingredients alongside the nutrition panel. Marks & Spencer describes its reviewed apple-and-elderflower drink as having no added sugar or artificial sweeteners; ASDA lists both sugar and sucralose in the reviewed J2O Spritz.
Check the type of drink first, then compare its label and serving format with the meal you are planning.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Apple juice content | Read the product name and ingredients. ASDA lists the reviewed Appletiser as 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate, J2O apple-and-watermelon Spritz as 10% apple juice and 2% watermelon juice, and Marks & Spencer lists its apple-and-elderflower drink as 59% apple juice. | If I want sparkling apple juice rather than an apple-based soft drink, the juice percentage decides which label fits. |
| Sugars | Compare figures only when their units match. ASDA lists 10.5g sugars per 100ml for Appletiser and 4.7g per 100ml for the reviewed J2O Spritz; Marks & Spencer lists 6.6g per 100g for its drink. | I want to know the sugars in the drink I will actually pour, without treating figures per 100g and per 100ml as identical measures. |
| Serving size | Check the can or bottle volume and plan the amount served. NHS guidance limits fruit juice and smoothies combined to 150ml a day and advises having them at mealtimes. | A single can is convenient for my dinner, but I may want to pour less than a full can if it holds more than 150ml of juice. |
| Ingredients | Check added sugar, sweeteners and other flavours separately from juice content. ASDA lists sugar and sucralose in the reviewed J2O Spritz; Marks & Spencer states no added sugar or artificial sweeteners for its reviewed drink. | If I avoid a particular sweetener or want a plain apple flavour, I need the ingredient list, not just the word “apple” on the front. |
Juice content changes what you are buying: ASDA lists 10% apple juice in the reviewed J2O apple-and-watermelon Spritz, while Marks & Spencer lists 59% in its apple-and-elderflower drink. Neither is the 100% apple juice listed for Appletiser.
If pure apple juice is your requirement, check both the product name and ingredient percentages before choosing a flavour or pack size.
A 750ml or larger bottle holds several servings. For fruit juice, NHS guidance is a combined total of 150ml of juice and smoothies a day, taken at mealtimes.
Pour the amount you intend to drink rather than treating the bottle as one dinner portion; check sugars per serving for apple-based soft drinks too.
Marks & Spencer states that its reviewed apple-and-elderflower drink has no added sugar, but its nutrition information still lists 6.6g sugars per 100g. ASDA lists sugar and sucralose in the reviewed J2O Spritz.
Read the nutrition panel for sugars and the ingredients for added sugar or sweeteners; each answers a different question.
These examples describe particular reviewed drinks, not every product made by each brand.
For a sparkling drink whose listed ingredients identify it as 100% apple juice from concentrate.
The reviewed apple-and-watermelon Spritz is a mixed-fruit carbonated soft drink, rather than sparkling apple juice.
The reviewed apple-and-elderflower sparkling drink offers a different flavour in a bottle suited to pouring several glasses.
These options include a multipack of 100% sparkling apple juice, mixed-fruit sparkling drinks and bottled apple-flavoured drinks. Check the individual product before treating it as a substitute for a 150ml juice can.
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Choose this if you want individual cans of sparkling apple juice rather than a mixed-fruit drink. Joybuy lists six 250ml cans; each can is larger than the NHS daily 150ml limit for fruit juice and smoothies combined, so pour a smaller serving if following that guidance.
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Consider this four-can pack when you want apple with mango flavour rather than plain sparkling apple juice. Check its own ingredients and nutrition label: the reviewed J2O apple-and-watermelon Spritz is a different product, so its figures should not be used for this variant.
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This four-can pack is an option if raspberry flavour appeals more than plain apple. Read this variant’s own label for juice content, sugars and sweeteners rather than applying figures from another J2O flavour.
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The 750ml bottle is a format to consider when pouring more than one glass. Check the sugar figure on the current pack before comparing it with other drinks: the nutrition figures shown for this product conflict with its apple-juice ingredient description.
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Choose this 350ml apple-and-ginger soda only if that flavour combination suits the meal. Check the current label for its apple-juice proportion; if alcohol status matters, confirm that too, as the product description also uses the word “cider”.
It can be an option if you want juice with the meal rather than an apple-based soft drink. NHS guidance advises having fruit juice at mealtimes and limiting juice and smoothies combined to 150ml a day.
ASDA states that its reviewed 150ml Appletiser can represents one 5 A Day portion. NHS guidance says 150ml of fruit or vegetable juice or smoothie counts as one portion, but no more than one portion from these drinks counts in a day.
Compare sugars using the same stated unit, then check juice percentages and sweeteners. ASDA lists 4.7g sugars per 100ml and 10% apple juice for the reviewed J2O apple-and-watermelon Spritz, against 10.5g sugars per 100ml and 100% apple juice for the reviewed Appletiser; these are different types of drink.
Follow the instructions on the bottle you buy. ASDA states that its reviewed 750ml Appletiser bottle should be refrigerated after opening and consumed within four days; do not apply that period to another drink without checking its label.