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Fruit Juice Concentrate

Level 5 — High concern3 sources

Fruit Juice Concentrate is a other additive listed in the FDA food-additive database.

Also: fruit concentrate, apple juice concentrate, grape juice concentrate

Where you'll see it

Hellmann's reduced-fat mayonnaise (lemon juice concentrate), 'no added sugar' products, granola bars

What the research says

Van Tulleken flags this directly: friends started asking 'Does fruit concentrate mean this is UPF?' — and yes, it does. It's a sugar concentrate stripped of fruit context, marketed as 'natural' but functioning metabolically like any other added sugar. [ultra-processed-people] Van Tulleken flags this directly: friends started asking 'Does fruit concentrate mean this is UPF?' — and yes, it does. It's a sugar concentrate stripped of fruit context, marketed as 'natural' but functioning metabolically like any other added sugar. [metabolical] Stripping fruit of insoluble fiber removes the latticework that normally slows sugar absorption and protects the liver. Juice delivers a fructose bolus that is 'as egregious a delivery vehicle for sugar as is soda' — Lustig has sent two adolescents for liver transplants from soda/juice-driven NAFLD. Two-thirds of US apple juice is imported from China. [salt-sugar-fat] Industrially stripped of fiber, vitamins, and aroma until it is basically pure sugar, but kept on labels because it 'appears on labels in a very healthy context.' Lets manufacturers add sweetness while keeping a 'natural' or 'no artificial' claim on the package.

Regulatory status

  • Notes: From enrichment source only, not in Winter Dictionary

Sources

  • Metabolical (Lustig) — Chapter 19: juice is as egregious a delivery vehicle for sugar as is soda… increased risk of diabetes and heart disease even after controlling for calories
  • Salt Sugar Fat (Moss) — Chapter 6 (A Burst of Fruity Aroma): The advantage that the fruit juice concentrate people have from a marketing standpoint is this product appears on labels in a very healthy context
  • Ultra-Processed People (van Tulleken) — Chapter 9: How UPF hacks our brains: Does 'fruit concentrate' mean this is UPF? (Yes, it does, btw.)