BusinessDay 20 Jul 2017

BUSINESS DAY
Fact Check
NEWS YOU CAN TRUST I THURSDAY 20 JULY 2017 C002D5556
TopfiveFacts
Trivial
100%
Juices expressed directly from a fruit or vegetable
(not concentrated and reconstituted).
Is that product made from
100 percent fruit juice?
Some fruit juice
manufacturers
have their juice
labelled ‘100%’
juice implying
that everything in that
pack of juice was expressed
from a fruit but
is there any truth in this
The percentage of juice must be disclosed
on the label but that doesn’t stop exaggerated
advertising. A 2013 research conducted by
Michigan state university extension on ‘fruit
juice’ revealed that the ingredients list is very
helpful in determining the nutritional content
of the product.
A research conducted
by Dyets Inc, a diet
research firm tried to
squeeze facts from fiction
about 100% fruit juice.
The study which was
conducted in March 2015
stated that juices directly
expressed from a fruit or
vegetable (not concentrated
and reconstituted)
shall be considered to be
100% juice and shall be
declared as ‘100% juice,
which is in line with the
United States code of
Federal Regulations.
However, when reconstituted
from juice
concentrate, the US Food
and Drug Administration,
FDA defines 100%
juice according to Brix
concentrations representative
of those originally
expressed from the
fruit.
In its 2001 study which
claim?
What does ‘100%’
juice mean?
100% juice on the label
means that there’s just
juice, fruit, or vegetable,
in the container and contains
no sugar.
looked at ‘The use and
misuse of fruit juice in
paediatrics’, the American
Academy of paediatrics,
said that unless
a juice is 100% juice it
shouldn’t be given the
labelled as such.
According to a 2012
research by Welch health
and Nutrition, 100 percent
fruit juice has is
squeezed from whole
fruit without added sugar,
just natural fruit sugars
along with vitamins,
minerals and plant nutrients.
The concluded that ‘it
is important to remind
consumers to check labels
and look for 100 percent
fruit juice to ensure
no sugar has been added.
How can you tell if
the product is made
from 100% juice?
The percentage of juice
must be disclosed on the
label but that doesn’t
stop exaggerated advertising.
A 2013 research conducted
by Michigan state
university extension on
‘fruit juice’ revealed that
the ingredients list is very
helpful in determining
the nutritional content of
the product.
The study also shows
that a lengthy list of ingredients
is another clue
that a product is not 100
percent fruit juice, but
rather a fruit flavoured
drink or fruit juice blend.
According to the study,
the ingredients are listed
in descending order by
dominance of weight, and
substances listed first are
of the greatest weight.
The study concluded
by advising consumers
to be aware if water was
added to make the juice,
which it pointed out was
the case for fruit juice
from concentrate, in such
cases, it will likely be the
first ingredient.
One serving of 100 percent
orange juice supplies
100 percent of the vitamin
C that your body needs.
Read the product label
carefully, as a product
may contain 100 percent
of your daily vitamin C,
but that does not mean
the product is 100 percent
fruit juice. Vitamin C can
be added to a juice drink
but again, this does not
make it 100 percent fruit
juice.
It is advisable, the
study says for consumers
to look at the product label
to find the percentage
of fruit juice. The only way
to confirm if the fruit juice
is 100 percent pure is to
read the ingredient list.
But again, some adverts
are misleading.
Labelling rules
According to American
Academy of paediatrics,
juice drinks in general
contain between 10%
and 99% juice and added
sweeteners, flavours, and
sometimes fortifiers, such
as vitamin C or calcium.
These ingredients they
say must be listed on the
label, according to FDA
regulations.
According to FDA, unless
a beverage is 100%
juice, companies are not
allowed to refer to it as
a juice without jumping
through some other
hoops.
If a drink is diluted to
less than “100% juice,”
the FDA’s rules stipulate
that the word “juice” must
be qualified with an additional
term like “beverage,”
“drink,” or “cocktail.”
Conclusion
Consumers are advised
to educate themselves
with facts by reading the
nutrition facts label for
each of the products before
purchase or stick to
homemade juice to be
certain the product is
made from 100percent
fruit juice.
2001
The American Academy of paediatrics, said juice
drinks in general contain between 10% and
99% juice and added sweeteners, flavours, and
sometimes fortifiers. These ingredients they must
be listed on the label.
2013
A research conducted by Michigan State University
extension on ‘fruit juice’ revealed that a
lengthy list of ingredients is another clue that a
product is not 100 percent fruit juice, but rather
a fruit flavoured drink or fruit juice blend.
2015
Dyets Inc, a diet research firm conducted
a research to squeeze facts from fiction
about 100% fruit juice.
100%
The only way to confirm if the fruit juice is
100 percent pure is to read the ingredient list.
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