Last night on “The Consumer Show” RTE 1 Eddie Hobbs asked the question of manufacturers & food labelling standards for childrens products.

The programme focussed on the amount of sugar in a number of popular childrens drinks. Ranked alongside Innocent smoothies, Liga juice, Danone Actimel & Coca-Cola, Sqeez apple ranked best with the lowest sugar content per 100ml of the 5 examined. 

Unfortunately the issue of food labelling was confused even more by the show than ever before. When examining food labels people should not look at one measurement (ie Sugar)  in isolation, plus they should be aware of the difference between natural sugars (ie those derived naturally from the fruit used to produce the product) & added sugars.

We were proud that there was no reason for the show to put Sqeez under the spotlight in any kind of a negative light, in fact the show highlighted that Sqeez is indeed the most suitable option of the 5 to offer to children. As is referenced in our current television advert, Sqeez juices contain nothing but pure orange or pure apple juice – there are no artificial or added sugars whatsoever contained in the product.

For parents who are interested in GDA labelling the sugar content is clearly highlighted on pack in the GDA panel, indicating the presence of only naturally occurring sugars in the juice – i.e. any sugar content present is that which is naturally found in the oranges or apples used to produce our juice.

Taken as part of a balanced diet, a 200ml glass of Sqeez Pure Orange or Apple juice each day provides one of the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and every pack carries our widely recognised 5 a day symbol.

In 2008 Sqeez  introduced avoluntary GDA labelling on each of our 1 litre Orange Apple and 200ml packs, in a move to provide adequate food labelling for our consumers. Our packs also clearly outline full nutritional information and ingredients on the side of the pack, which help guide consumers to the calories, sugar, fat, saturates & salt contained in our products.

We continue to invest in, use, and share consumer research and expertise to help improve our understanding of sugar content and labelling concerns, both within and outside the business, and we welcome moves to review food labelling rules in Europe, which would mean that the provision of information that we are already providing on pack, would become mandatory.
We would also welcome initatives that actually help consumers to understand food labelling & GDA’s & how to utilise GDA’s when planning a balanced healthy diet for their children.