People packing one drink with lunch
A sealed, individual can avoids carrying an opened sharing bottle. Check whether the drink is 100% apple juice or a sparkling drink containing apple juice alongside other ingredients.
Who is this for?
People comparing juice portions and sugars
Pack sizes, juice percentages and nutrition figures differ. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day and having them with a meal; check how much of a 100% juice can you intend to drink.
Teams sharing a drink at lunch
A larger bottle can serve several people, provided its opening and storage instructions suit the workplace. The Shloer 750ml bottle must be refrigerated after opening, according to its Sainsbury’s listing.
What should you check before choosing?
100% sparkling apple juice
Choose when: You specifically want an all-apple drink in an individual can; Tesco Groceries lists Appletiser as 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate.
Bear in mind: Its listed 250ml can contains 26g sugars, and a full can exceeds the NHS 150ml daily fruit-juice guidance.
Apple drink with sparkling water
Choose when: You want a single can but do not require 100% juice; Sainsbury’s lists Cawston Press Cloudy Apple as 49% pressed apple juice.
Bear in mind: It is a different formulation from 100% apple juice, so compare the ingredient list and nutrition figures rather than treating the drinks as interchangeable.
Sharing bottle
Choose when: Several colleagues will share a drink and a fridge is available for anything left over.
Bear in mind: Sainsbury’s says its 750ml Shloer apple-and-white-grape drink must be refrigerated after opening and consumed within three days.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Pack and storage | Check whether the pack contains individual cans or a larger bottle. For a bottle, read the opening and refrigeration instructions before taking it to work. | I’m carrying one sealed drink with lunch, or I’m arranging a bottle for several people who can refrigerate it afterwards. |
| Juice and ingredients | Tesco Groceries lists Appletiser as 100% apple juice from concentrate; Sainsbury’s lists Cawston Press Cloudy Apple as 49% pressed apple juice and Shloer’s apple-and-white-grape drink as containing other ingredients, including sucralose. Check the label for the exact product you choose. | I may want an all-apple drink, or I may prefer a sparkling apple drink with a different juice content. The ingredient list matters if I avoid sweeteners. |
| Sugars and portion | Tesco Groceries lists 26g sugars per 250ml Appletiser can; Sainsbury’s lists 4.3g per 100ml for Cawston Press Cloudy Apple. Compare figures on the same volume basis. The NHS advises no more than a combined 150ml of fruit juice and smoothies a day, with a meal. | I want to compare what I’ll actually drink, not just the number printed on the front of a multipack. If I choose 100% juice, I’ll account for the can’s size against the NHS guidance. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming 100% juice means any portion size fits
Tesco Groceries lists 26g sugars in a 250ml Appletiser can. That can is larger than the NHS advised combined daily limit of 150ml for fruit juice and smoothies.
If you choose 100% sparkling juice, decide how much you will drink and have it with lunch, in line with the NHS advice to have juice with a meal.
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Judging different drinks by one front-of-pack phrase
Appletiser is listed as 100% apple juice, while Cawston Press Cloudy Apple contains 49% pressed apple juice. Shloer’s apple-and-white-grape drink has another ingredient profile, including sucralose.
Read the juice percentage and ingredients, then compare sugars using the same unit, such as per 100ml.
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Packing a sharing bottle for one desk lunch
A larger bottle creates an after-opening storage decision that a sealed single can does not. Sainsbury’s instructions for the 750ml Shloer bottle say to refrigerate it after opening and consume it within three days.
Use a bottle when it will be shared or can be stored as directed; check its pressure warning before opening.
Sparkling apple drink brands to compare
Appletiser
A 100% sparkling apple-juice option in individual 250ml cans, according to Tesco Groceries and Joybuy product listings.
- The listed ingredient is carbonated apple juice from concentrate.
- Tesco Groceries lists 26g sugars per 250ml can; a full can exceeds the NHS 150ml daily fruit-juice guidance.
Cawston Press
Its Cloudy Apple sparkling drink offers a 250ml can with pressed apple juice and sparkling water, rather than 100% juice.
- Sainsbury’s lists 49% pressed apple juice and 4.3g sugars per 100ml for this product.
- Check the juice percentage if an all-juice drink is what you want.
Shloer
Its non-alcoholic sparkling apple-and-white-grape drink comes in a 750ml bottle suited to sharing.
- The larger bottle can be divided between people at lunch.
- Sainsbury’s says to refrigerate it after opening and consume it within three days; the drink contains sucralose.
Joybuy options for office lunches
These options range from individual cans of sparkling apple juice and apple-containing drinks to a larger sparkling apple bottle for sharing. Check the formulation and pack size against how you plan to serve lunch.
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Appletiser 100% Apple Juice Lightly Sparkling 6 x 250ml
The individual cans suit a one-person lunch when 100% sparkling apple juice is the priority. Tesco Groceries lists 26g sugars per 250ml can; drinking a full can exceeds the NHS advised combined daily 150ml limit for fruit juice and smoothies.
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J2O Sparkling Apple & Raspberry 4 x 250ml
The 250ml cans offer an individual apple-and-raspberry drink for lunch rather than a drink described as 100% apple juice. Check the pack’s ingredient list and nutrition panel if juice content or sugars will determine your choice.
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Tango Sugar Free Apple 8 x 330ml
This is an individual 330ml apple-flavoured fizzy drink, not a substitute for 100% apple juice if juice content is your priority. If you avoid sweeteners, check the ingredients for sucralose and acesulfame K.
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De Vina Sparkling Apple 750ml
A 750ml bottle is an option when the drink will be shared rather than carried as one person’s lunch serving. Handle the glass bottle carefully and follow its refrigeration instructions after opening; check the package label for the juice percentage and nutrition values before comparing it with other drinks.
Questions about sparkling apple drinks
Does a 250ml sparkling apple-juice can fit NHS fruit-juice guidance?
A full 250ml can is larger than the NHS advised combined daily limit of 150ml for fruit juice and smoothies. The NHS also recommends having juice with a meal. If you choose a 100% juice can such as Appletiser, consider how much you intend to drink with lunch.
How is 100% sparkling apple juice different from a sparkling apple drink?
Check the ingredient list and juice percentage: Tesco Groceries lists Appletiser as 100% carbonated apple juice from concentrate, whereas Sainsbury’s lists Cawston Press Cloudy Apple as containing 49% pressed apple juice with sparkling water. The 750ml Shloer apple-and-white-grape drink is another formulation and contains sucralose.
Can an opened 750ml sparkling drink go back in a lunch bag?
Follow the bottle’s storage instructions rather than leaving it in a bag. Sainsbury’s says its 750ml Shloer apple-and-white-grape drink must be refrigerated after opening and consumed within three days; its pressurised contents should be opened pointing away from the face.
What does a best-before date tell me about a sparkling drink?
GOV.UK explains that a best-before date relates to quality, whereas a use-by date relates to food safety. Read the date on the product you buy and follow its storage and after-opening instructions.