JUICE LABEL CONFUSION – HOW TO BUY THE BEST

March 24, 2009

JUICE LABEL CONFUSION – HOW TO BUY THE BEST

Even though you may learn how to decipher the information contained on product labels, you may still be misled by labels that do not “tell the whole story”. For example, fruit juices come in a wide variety of choices, from drinks that are rich in vitamins and minerals to fruit-flavored sugar water, and it can be hard to tell the difference. Health-minded shoppers can make the right selections by following these suggestions:

1) Try to find fruit drinks that are labeled “100 Percent Fruit Juice”, “100 Percent Fruit Juice Blends”, “100 percent Juice From Concentrate”, or “100 Percent Pure Juice”.

2) Avoid juice drinks with labels such as “100 Percent Natural” or “100 Percent Real Juice”. Such concotions are not guaranteed to contain 100 percent fruit juice.

3) Beware of juices labeled “juice cocktail”, “fruit drink” or “juice beverage” drinks may contain only as little as 10 percent juice.

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4) Pay close attention to the first ingredient listed on the label. Since ingredients on the label are listed in quantity, your best choice is usually a drink whose first ingredient is juice, not water.