23 September,2010 12:10 PM IST | | AFP
The European Commission on Wednesday said it is looking at slapping a Europe-wide ban on adding sugar to fruit juice.
Currently, juice-packs on supermarket shelves can contain 150 grams of sugar per litre, and up to 20 percent of total contents in bottles of fruit nectar.
The commission, the European Union's executive arm, said its proposed bill would still authorise adding sugar or honey to fruit nectar.
The bill would also underline the difference between fruit juice and fruit concentrates and, for the first time, list tomatoes as a fruit.
Commission sources said the idea was not expected to irritate member states, before the adoption of the bill in the European parliament.
Fruit juices make up 10 percent of all non-alcoholic drinks sold across the European Union. But juices made of concentrates represent 87.6 percent against 12.4 percent for pure juices.
