When buying packaged fruit beverages, consumers often assume products labelled as fruit juice, fruit drinks, or 100% juice offer similar nutritional benefits. However, these products can differ considerably in their fruit content, sugar composition and overall nutritional value . Understanding food labels is therefore essential before you buy.
What should you check before purchasing?
The remaining composition may include water, added sugar, sugar syrups, flavours and other ingredients. This means that the fruit content can be considerably lower than what consumers might expect from the packaging or product name. This helps establish whether the product contains predominantly fruit juice or is mainly a flavoured beverage. The ingredient list should also be examined carefully. Ingredients such as sugar, sugar syrup and other sweetening agents should be noted, particularly when they appear among the first ingredients. Another important point is that consumers should not assume that all packaged fruit beverages have the same composition. Some fruit drinks may list water as their first ingredient, followed by sugar and added fruit flavouring, indicating that the product is primarily a beverage rather than actual fruit juice. Reading the ingredient list and nutritional values together can help consumers understand what they are buying. The right choice depends on an individual’s nutritional requirements, dietary preferences, and budget.
In this edition of HT Lifestyle’s series, ‘Before You Buy,’ we spoke to Dr Eileen Canday, Head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai, to understand how to tell whether you’re buying 100% fruit juice or just a fruit drink by reading the packaging labels. Also read | Before you buy: From ingredients to skin type, here’s what to check before choosing a skincare serum Products labelled as ‘ fruit drinks ‘, ‘nectar’ or ‘fruit beverages’ may contain only around 10–25% fruit content, depending on the product and applicable category. Earlier reporting noted: Also read | This creamy Greek yoghurt tastes like dessert but is loaded with 40 g protein: Full step-by-step recipe Earlier reporting noted: According to Dr Canday, Greek yoghurt and regular curd are both useful dairy options, but they differ in their nutritional composition, particularly in terms of protein content, consistency and price.
One of the first things consumers should check is the percentage of actual fruit content, according to Dr Canday.
Earlier reporting noted: What to consider before buying Greek yoghurt What to consider before buying Greek yoghurt
