By Kim Rahn
Freshly-squeezed fruit juice at major franchise juice outlets contain the equivalent of about 10 teaspoons of sugar per serving on average, research by Seoul City and a consumer's group showed Friday.
Between May and June, the city government and Consumers Korea analyzed five types of juice -- green grape, kiwi, strawberry, grapefruit and a mix of strawberry and banana -- at 31 outlets of top five juice franchise brands.
According to the study, a regular-sized serving of juice contained 31.7 grams of sugar on average, or 31.7 percent of the recommended daily intake, and is equivalent to about 10 teaspoons of sugar, the city government said.
Green grape juice had the largest amount of sugar with 39 grams on average, followed by the mix of strawberry and banana at 36.7 grams; kiwi, 31.4 grams; strawberry, 26.7 grams; and grapefruit, 26.4 grams.
A large serving of green grape juice had 111 grams of sugar on average, surpassing the daily recommended intake.
“The products contain such large amounts of sugar because the stores add sugar or syrup to enhance sweetness,” a government official said. “Although water and ice were added, the juices had more sugar than the fruit's own sugar content.”
All 31 outlets allowed customers to ask for less syrup, but only 35.5 percent of them notified them of this.
“People think freshly-squeezed fruit juice is healthier than soda and other drinks, but with only one serving of juice, they may consume one third of their daily sugar consumption intake, or more,” the official said. “We advise people to ask for less syrup or none when ordering their juice.”