Fruit juice or fruit drink?

There's a big difference between a 'fruit juice' and a 'fruit drink'.

If it says 'fruit juice', it must contain undiluted fruit juice.  This can have up to 4% added sugar.

If it says 'fruit drink', it must contain at least 5% fruit juice. It can contain a lot more than that.

The pictures on the pack can easily be misinterpreted by a harried shopper. Even if you can't do it in-store, stop and have a read of the packaging when you're at home: the only way to know what you're getting with fruit juices and fruit drinks is to read the label properly.

What the labels mean

Many fruit juices in New Zealand are made from concentrated fruit juice.

The juice has been concentrated by removing some of the water, which makes it a lot cheaper to transport. It is then reconstituted by adding water back.

These juices sometimes have vitamins added back in as well, as some of the water soluble vitamins will be lost in the concentration process.

• For juices made from concentrate, you'll see one of these on the pack:
  > 'Made from concentrate'
  > 'Reconstituted' (from concentrate)

• For juices NOT made from concentrate, you'll see one of these on the pack:
  > 'Not from concentrate'
  > 'Pure' (not from concentrate and contains no additives)
  > 'Fresh' (not from concentrate and contains no additives)