This follows the reduction in sugar across their entire yoghurt range earlier this year and is in line with World Health Organisation directives1 as well as Woolworths own commitment to offering better food choices.
“We've removed the equivalent of 20 million teaspoons (approximately 79 tons) of sugar from our chilled 100% juices and nectars,” says Cecil Mitchell, Woolworths Head of Food Technology. This includes the naturally occurring fruit sugars in the concentrates from which Woolworths chilled juices are made, as well as the sucrose (table sugar) which is added to our chilled nectars, and represents the amount that would have been included in these juices in a year based on average weekly sales.
“Dietary imbalances associated with eating more refined foods and not eating enough fruit and vegetables may be linked to the world-wide epidemic of lifestyle-related diseases including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure,” Mitchell explains. “South African dietary guidelines recommend using sugar sparingly - for a normal adult that means about 10 teaspoons of added sugar or sugar from concentrated sources per day. By reformulating our chilled juice recipes we've significantly been able to reduce the amount of sugar in these fresh juices without compromising on flavour.”
1 WHO report 916 - Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Disease
In keeping with Woolworths Good Food Journey promise to avoid additives where possible, these juices are also free of added preservatives including sulphur dioxide.
