Orange juice explained

Wake up your tastebuds first thing in the morning with a glass of chilled orange juice. Here's how to make the right choice for you.

Oranges are not the only fruit, but they are the nation's first choice when it comes to drinking fruit juice. More than 80 per cent of all fruit juice consumed in the UK is orange juice. And it's easy to see why. It's vibrant, refreshing and it's good for you.

The following is a guide to the nutritional benefits of orange juice and to the terms used to describe different orange juices in the chilled cabinet.

Orange juice is packaged sunshine. It takes 13-15 oranges to produce 1 litre of juice bursting with flavour, zest and vitamin C. One 250ml glass of pure orange juice can provide you with nearly all the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. So a small glass of orange juice will make a valuable contribution to your five portions of fruit and vegetable each day. Vitamin C helps strengthen the bones, tissues and blood vessels and increases absorption of iron, important for the distribution of oxygen.

Orange juice also contains folic acid, essential for the formation of red blood cells, and natural sugars for energy. It contains around 50 calories per 100ml. And it tastes great!

Which Orange Juice?

Waitrose sells three categories of orange juice in the chilled cabinet.

Waitrose Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

This has the freshness of oranges squeezed in your own kitchen. Oranges are picked and shipped to the UK, where they are squeezed, packaged and dispatched within hours. The 100 per cent pure fruit juice contains no added water, sugar, colour or preservatives and is generally not pasteurised. It has a short shelf life and must be consumed within a few days.

Orange - 1.5 litre, 1 litre, 500ml, 250ml

Oranges are imported from around the world. The sweetness and acidity of the oranges can vary according to the country and the time of year, so different oranges are blended to ensure a consistent taste.

Organic Orange - 1 litre, 500ml

Organic orange juice is produced from organically grown oranges. The higher price reflects more labour-intensive farming methods on groves that are also less densely planted than non-organic groves.

Waitrose 100% Squeezed Orange Juice

Oranges are picked and squeezed in the country of origin. The juice is then pasteurised and frozen before transportation to Europe. On arrival, at its destination, the juice is defrosted and packaged. It contains no added water, sugar, colour or preservatives and it has a longer shelf life than freshly squeezed juice.

Florida Orange - 1 litre

Florida oranges are renowned around the world for their natural sweetness, and thisjuice is packed with the refreshing flavour of oranges ripened under the Florida sun.

Organic Orange - 1 litre

The oranges used for this juice are organically grown in Costa Rica. The orange groves are less densely planted than non-organic, and are cultivated without the addition of artificial fertilisers or pesticides.

Waitrose Pure Orange Juice made from concentrate

Oranges are picked and squeezed in the country of origin. The natural water present in the fruit juice is evaporated, and the concentrate is shipped to the UK, where it is reconstituted, pasteurised and packaged to provide a quality juice that is value for money. It contains no sugar, colour or preservatives.

Orange - 1 litre, 2 x 1 litre, 3 x 1 litre

The orange concentrates for this good-value, zesty, pure fruit juice generally comes from Brazil, the world's biggest producer of oranges.

Orange Smooth Style - 1 litre

Popular with children who don't like 'bits', this juice is sieved so it remains smooth.

Organic Orange - 1 litre

This organic juice is squeezed and concentrated from organic oranges grown in Costa Rica without artificial fertilisers or pesticides.

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This article was first published on Waitrose.com in June 2001.