Food
Fruit drinks
Introduction
Quality control is an issue for juice manufacturers. We tested 20 products to see how the vitamin C content stacked up against the label claims.
We found one juice that was well below (and a number of juices that seriously exceeded) what the label claimed.
We also compared the stated sugar content per glass and the percentage of fruit each product contained.
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.
Products compared
Guide to the table
Our survey was based on label information. Products are listed in alphabetical order.
ns = not stated
- Vitamin C content rounded to nearest whole number.
- Sugar content rounded to nearest teaspoon.
- Fruit content rounded to the nearest percent.
Sugar content
Sugary drinks such as fruit juice, fruit drinks and cordials have about the same energy and sugar content as soft drinks. This means they have the same potential for weight gain.
Just Juice's Splash Orange and Mango fruit drink had the lowest sugar content. It's a 50/50 mix of spring water and fruit juice but it still contained 3 teaspoons of sugar in a 250ml serving.
Ocean Spray's Cranberry Blackcurrant and Golden Circle's Pineapple Juice had the highest sugar content - close to 8 teaspoons in a 250ml serving.
The maximum recommended daily intake of sugar for an average-sized woman is 17 teaspoons (for men it's 26 teaspoons). A couple of glasses of Ocean Spray's Cranberry Blackcurrant would see most women almost reaching the limit.
All sugar has the same effect on teeth. Bacteria use it to produce acids, which then attack the tooth enamel.
It pays to keep sugary drinks for mealtimes. Avoid sipper bottles, because sipping something high in sugar over a long period is the surest way to damage your teeth.
Brushing your teeth is also important. But wait 30 minutes after finishing your sugary drink before you brush. Acidic drinks temporarily soften tooth enamel: brushing immediately after a sugary drink may mean you remove the softened enamel.
Fruit content
Not all fruit drinks are created equal. There are guidelines defining what can be labelled a fruit juice or a fruit drink.
- A fruit juice is the liquid (with or without the pulp) obtained from real fruit. These products, such as McCoy Real Orange Juice and Charlie's Honest Squeezed Juice, will be close to 100 percent fruit juice. Some juices have been reconstituted from a fruit concentrate.
- Fruit drinks may contain as little as 5 percent fruit. Sugar is the main ingredient. Ribena's Blackcurrant Fruit Drink contains 6 percent blackcurrant juice - it's mostly sugar and water (but it does contain its stated levels of vitamin C).
- A fruit drink concentrate has had some water removed. You add water to the final product.
- Fruit-flavoured drinks don't contain any fruit - they're little more than sugar and water.
Our advice
- Fruit and vegetables should be your main source of vitamin C - especially blackcurrants, citrus fruit, kiwifruit, broccoli and brussels sprouts.
- Eat at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit every day. Fruit juice can only count as one serving.
- Check the ingredients list to see how much real fruit each product contains. Some drinks are little more than sugar and water.