Skip to main content

Independent This is not a government website. It is an independent archive and is not connected to GOV.UK or any government department.

Food and nutrition

Fruit juice and 5 A Day

Partly documented

2016 guide sets 150ml limit; juice still counts as one of 5 A Day, contrary to a complete removal claim.

Fact-check

2016 guide sets 150ml limit; juice still counts as one of 5 A Day, contrary to a complete removal claim.

2016 Eatwell Guide moved juice to hydration category; do not assume first ever 150ml cap.

The evidence

Links go to the original records: Hansard, legislation, official guidance and news reports. A before-and-after pair is not always proof of a direct contradiction, so read the originals for exact wording.

Before: the earlier position

After: what changed

What the source documents claim

These are summaries from the original documents behind this archive. They have not been checked word for word. Where they differ from the fact-check above, the fact-check is the more reliable account.

Fruit Juice in the "5 A Day" Target (2003/2007 vs. 2016)

Document B, case 3

First Announcement (2003–2007)
When the Department of Health launched the 5 A Day campaign and original Eatwell Plate, unsweetened 100% fruit juice and smoothies were included directly inside the main fruit and vegetable segment without strict volume limits.
The Reversal (17 March 2016)
Public Health England (PHE) unveiled the updated Eatwell Guide following Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) warnings on "free sugars." Fruit juice was moved out of the fruit and vegetable segment and capped at one 150ml glass per day.

This page combines register entries 23, 28, which cover the same subject. Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

More on food and nutrition