Fruit Shoot and the Which! Report

A lot of you will have seen today’s coverage around Fruit Shoot. It’s reports such as that these that make us parents feel even more confused! We know that what we choose for our children’s lunch box is based on health but also variety and balance and things we know will be eaten!

 

The Which? article which the media have focused on, reported on the sugar content of regular Fruit Shoot, in a look at four different food and drink products that may appear in children’s lunchboxes . Misleadingly the Which? feature looked at the  sugar content of regular Fruit Shoot but showed a  picture of our Low Sugar variant- clearly identified by its blue top. Furthermore if Which? had delved a bit deeper they would have found out that 85% of all Fruit Shoot purchased is Low sugar with less than 2.4 grams of sugar per 200ml!

 

At Britvic, we adhere to the recommended Schools Food Trust guidelines, which encourage children to drink mainly water, milk or pure juice at school.  That’s why the only product within our Fruit Shoot range that we actively recommend parents include in their children’s lunchbox is our 100% Pure Juice.

 

 

I think it’s also important for parents to know that the Fruit Shoot range has seven varieties, which reflects what we know from research parents want for their children.  The majority of parents go for the low sugar option which is why we now offer so many more low sugar flavours than our regular range. But we also know that some parents prefer to avoid low calorie sweeteners altogether and that, on occasions, sugar provides children with some well needed energy, which is why we still offer the regular range in Orange and Blackcurrant flavours. Most importantly, we offer parents the opportunity to choose what suits them best.

 

To help parents make an informed choice about what suits them and their families, we constantly strive to provide clear nutritional information on all our packs – and that’s why we developed a coloured cap system. The blue cap indicates our low sugar range whilst the green cap indicates our regular range, without low calorie sweeteners.

 

We also know that children are more likely to stay hydrated when they like what they’re drinking, which is why we’ve created a full range of drinks for kids to meet their different needs when they’re out and about.

 

I’d be really interested to hear what you think, so do feel free to get in touch via Julie@juliedean.com