CFBAI Statement Amending the Juices Category in its Category-Specific Nutrition Criteria

May 8, 2018

CFBAI has revised Category 1, “Juices,” of its Uniform Nutrition Criteria. Under the new criteria, participants may advertise 100% fruit and/or vegetable (“F/V”) juices and beverages with 100% F/V juice and water as long as the beverages provide no more than six ounces of 100% F/V juice. The current CFBAI criteria require that juices provide at least a ½ cup of 100% fruit/veg (F/V) juice (i.e., at least 4 fl oz). CFBAI believes it is appropriate to amend the category to allow participants to advertise juices that provide less than a ½ cup of 100% juice and thus fewer calories.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognize 100% juice as an appropriate source of fruit when consumed in moderation. Juice also is a source of dietary sugar and may provide excess calories, and many leading public health groups recommend that children consume less 100% juice and more water. Beverages comprised of 100% juice and water, and thus fewer calories than 100% juice alone, align with these recommendations. Children’s beverages already in the marketplace address these concerns and CFBAI wishes to update its criteria to allow them to be advertised to children.

CFBAI’s current Juices category requires that a labeled serving size (for children, typically ≤ 6 oz) have ≤160 calories, ≤140 mg sodium, no added sugars, and provide at least ½ cup fruit juice. The revised Juices category will control for calories by limiting the volume of juice to 6 fl oz of 100% juice. For example, a 6 oz beverage that contains 4 oz 100% juice and 2 oz of water will qualify, as would an 8 oz beverage that contains 6 fl oz 100% juice and 2 oz of water. The NTLs for the proposed category remain the same or, in the case of sodium, comparable.^[1] Juices in this category may be comprised of 100% F/V juice and water only.

CFBAI’s current and new Juices category

 [1] The sodium limit has been adjusted to reflect the 6 fl oz maximum amount of 100% F/V juice

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