Vitamin C content

Vitamin C (sometimes called ascorbic acid) occurs naturally in fruit juices and is essential for good health. It helps the body absorb iron and is an antioxidant. Antioxidants are thought to be important in slowing up the ageing process and in reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Vitamin C is also a preservative that prolongs the shelf life of juices and prevents discolouration.

We selected 20 fruit drinks and juices that make claims about their vitamin C content on their packaging. We tested the vitamin C content and compared it with the amount claimed on the label.

What we found

Yan Apricot Juice was the only product that didn't meet its label claim for vitamin C. It contained less than one-sixth of the amount stated on the label.

This is a quality-control problem that needs rectifying - consumers should get at least the minimum level claimed.

Aloe Rejuva Aloe Vera Drink claims to be "enriched with vitamin C", but fails to state how much vitamin C it contains. Not much as it turns out - Aloe Rejuva had the second-lowest vitamin C content of the products, with only 28mg per 250ml glass. It breaches the Food Standards Code: if a product makes a specific claim then it must back this up in the nutrition information panel.

Pavé Consumer Brands (distributor of Aloe Rejuva) told us that it's recently revised the label and that Aloe Rejuva produced from November will comply with the Food Standards Code.

More vitamin C than claimed

The other 18 products contained more vitamin C than what was claimed. This is not unusual. And like our last test, some products contained considerably more vitamin C than stated on the label.

Ribena's Blackcurrant Fruit Drink and Golden Circle's Tropical Fruit Punch Fruit Drink both contained around five times the amount of claimed vitamin C. Golden Circle's Tropical Fruit Punch Fruit Drink contained the same amount as when we last tested.

Four other products - Keri Thexton's Orange and Peach Fruit Drink, Ocean Spray's Cranberry Blackcurrant, Pinto Orange Juice and V8 Plus Start Up! - contained more than twice the vitamin C content stated on the label.

What's the problem?

The Food Standards Code requires labels to be accurate at the end of the product's shelf life. And so manufacturers add extra vitamin C because it deteriorates over time (how fast it deteriorates depends on the product's packaging, the type of fruit and the storage temperature).

We think some products seriously understate the amount of vitamin C they have. Manufacturers should look at their quality-control procedures to make sure their labels are more accurate.

How much is too much vitamin C?

The recommended dietary intake of vitamin C for adults is 45mg. For good health, men should aim for 220mg and women 190mg. There's no established upper limit for vitamin C but experts suggest that 1000mg a day is a sensible upper limit.