Before you buy juice boxes to send to school, here's what Atlantic Canadians need to know to make the best choice for your kids

The label of the juice may not tell the whole story about what it contains

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS

Franklin to stay offshore, but tropical moisture will help deliver mid-week soaking | SaltWire

David MacDonald

Special to SaltWire

It may say 'fruit' on the package, but it’s no secret many fruit juices aren’t necessarily the most healthy beverages.

Nevertheless, people of all ages agree a cool glass of juice is one popular way to quench the thirst – and it will be a popular item in many lunchboxes on the first day of school.

“Big food companies target to children this time of year … so label reading is so important,” Jennifer Chandler, a registered holistic nutritionist from Falmouth, N.S., says.

“What the front of the package says can be completely different from what the nutrition list says.”

Chandler said many manufacturers engage in ‘greenwashing.’ For example, a company may proclaim in big letters that its juice is “100 per cent natural,” but the fine print of the ingredients will reveal it also contains added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or other chemicals.

Many fruit juices are made from concentrate, a process that removes the excess liquid in the fruit.

“The front is the advertisement,” Chandler said. “The back of the label is where you find the nutrition facts part of the label, where they have to tell the truth.”

Chandler says while the best juice is one that simply states ‘100 per cent pure juice,’ many juices list water as its first ingredient.

And, “If the second and third ingredients are sucrose, corn syrup or sugar … that tells you it’s not good quality,” Chandler said.

Many drinks, like fruit juice smoothies or vegetable juices such as V8, are touted by their manufacturers as being 'healthy alternatives'.

But, Chandler says, those juices are still not at the level of whole fruit, or even 100 per cent pure fruit juice.

When it comes to V8, for example, while it’s high in Vitamin C and low in calories, one 340 ml serving of the original recipe contains 650 mg of sodium – or 27 per cent of one’s daily recommended intake.

“And because it's been sitting on the shelf, most of them are full of shelf stabilizers and guar gums, which we don't need,” Chandler said.

“It makes a mighty tasty Caesar but I wouldn't be choosing it to obtain a serving of vegetables.”

And for the smoothies you buy at the store?

“It’s better than Kool-Aid, but you’re not getting that whole fruit and vegetable because it’s from concentrate,” she said.

Rising grocery costs are an added wrinkle, as some consumers may believe it’s just as healthy to buy cheaper fruit juice as it is to buy the whole fruit.

“(Some may say) ‘I’m still going to get the benefit of the fruit juice,’ but that’s not correct,” Chandler said.

Atlantic Canadian parents, teachers offer advice on how to help your kids get ready for the back-to-school routine

Buying your child a computer for back-to-school? Here's what you need to know before you shop

Chandler said many people are concerned about sugars and weight gain, but not all sugars are the same.

The natural sugars that come directly from whole fruit metabolize in the body different from other sugars, she said.

The federal government agency Health Canada has also focused on concerns regarding juice and the labelling on its packaging.

A Health Canada spokesperson said Food and Drugs Act regulations help ensure information on food labels “is truthful and not misleading” to consumers.

The government agency has, in fact, made several regulatory changes in recent years, including just last year, when rules were put in place requiring manufacturers to include a nutrition symbol on the front of food packages noting if the product is high in saturated fat, sugars or sodium. The food industry has until Jan. 1, 2026 to make these changes.

“In the vast majority of cases, fruit juice will be required to display the 'high in sugars' symbol,” the spokesperson said.

“(Those juices) cannot carry the ‘no added sugars’ or ‘unsweetened’ claims on the same part of the label as the ‘high in sugars’ symbol.”

The Health Canada spokesperson said beverages containing added sugars are associated with a higher risk of dental decay for children, as well as a risk of weight gain, and Type 2 diabetes.

“Health Canada recommends making water your drink of choice,” the spokesperson said.

“Other healthy drink options can include white milk, unsweetened fortified plant-based beverages, and unsweetened coffees and teas.”

These days, many jurisdictions have fought back against the sugary concoctions.

Most recently, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services banned the sale of sugary items like donuts, candies, energy drinks and sports drinks within its facilities, citing the Canada Food Guide.

The province had already implemented a sugar sweetened beverage tax of 20 cents per litre of many sugary drinks.

“If we keep our children from things like juice, they’re going to over-indulge when they’re older.”— Kayla Josey

The Newfoundland and Labrador School Lunch Association, which offers the largest school food program in the province, had been ahead of the trend when it ditched juice beverages from its menu in 2019.

Executive director John Finn said it was “specifically due to the provincial government’s new (at the time) provincial healthy school food guidelines.”

Before then, the school menus included orange and apple juice, plus white and chocolate milk and water.

Finn says there’s been no complaints from parents regarding the absence of juice, but he has fielded a common inquiry.

“The only questions we get now are… why do you serve chocolate milk and not juice?” Finn said.

“I even get comments from teachers and principals.”

Finn points out that, around the same time the association dropped juice from its menu, the Newfoundland and Labrador Dairy Association reformulated its chocolate milk to conform with the province’s school food guidelines.

Finn said it’s now a win-win for students as well as the dairy industry, as many of the roughly 30 per cent who purchased juice with their meals in the past are now drinking milk.

“Now kids are getting their calcium they wouldn’t otherwise have with juice,” Finn said. “(And) we’re actually increasing dairy farm production in a whole new way, (including) increased staffing levels.”

“Big food companies target to children this time of year … so label reading is so important.”— Jennifer Chandler

When it comes to juice, parents are finding ways to make homemade juices that don’t have as many extra ingredients as one might find at the grocery store.

Michèle Parent, of Lower Sackville, N.S., often makes homemade juices for her 12-year-old daughter.

“Our popular ones are cucumber, apple and celery,” she said.

“We like spinach or kale, with cucumber, one carrot, one apple, an orange and one plum, or a pear. We also make homemade V8, and we make a beet juice with pineapple, too. A fresh-pressed juice still has its digestive enzymes and is far better than anything we could buy.”

Parent started this during her then-toddler’s “super picky phase.” She didn’t want to sacrifice health, but she also didn’t want any so-called power struggles with her child.

“A child who gets to retain autonomy is a child more open to trying new things.”

Parent said making homemade juices is a great way for a neurodivergent child triggered by certain textures to consume necessary fruits and vegetables.

“We all want to be healthy as possible, but we all want to enjoy life, no matter our age. I don’t think it’s irresponsible at all.”— Kayla Josey

While eating healthy is important, an argument can be made that life is all about balance, and we shouldn’t feel guilty for the occasional treat.

Kayla Josey, of the Eastern Shore region of Nova Scotia, says her lactose-free daughter drinks lactose-free white and chocolate milk, as well as dairy-free smoothies.

“She loves water too," Josey adds.

Josey understands the importance of healthy eating, but says it’s necessary to not judge other people’s food choices.

“If we keep our children from things like juice, they’re going to over-indulge when they’re older,” Josey said. “It’s the same with chocolate or pop.”

She says she knows her children eat well, and is fine with the occasional treat. While her son “hates” pop, her daughter will have the occasional one at a special event or movie night at home, and she’s OK with that.

“We all want to be healthy as possible, but we all want to enjoy life, no matter our age. I don’t think it’s irresponsible at all.”

Jennifer Chandler’s Top 5 tips when choosing juice

While water is the best bet, here's what she suggests parents keep in mind:

1. What is the product for? Does it meet your unique nutritional needs?

2. Don't go by the label. The ingredients list is your most important tool to knowing what you're putting in your body

3. Is the juice from "concentrate' or "100 per cent" juice? Look for 100 per cent juice. A concentrate will generally always include one or all added sugars (sucrose, fructose, acetylsulfame potassium, cane sugar etc.), sugar additives like sucralose, aspartame, colouring, chemical additives and artificial flavours.

4. Serving size on the label is based on a 2,000 calorie diet, and per day, not per meal.

5. Take note of the "total sugar" and the "added sugar ". Added sugars are the processed ones we want to avoid in juice.