Real Activ Cranberry Juice
Red flags
No major red flags on the label.
Green flags
- +Green flag: No added sugar
- +Green flag: Low sodium
Ingredients, decoded
6 listed- Water
- Concentrated Fruit Juice (Concentrated Apple Juice (13.5%) & Concentrated Cranberry Juice (2.5%), Equivalent to 80% Apple Juice & 20% Cranberry Juice)
- Acidity Regulator (INS 330)
- Flavours [Nature Identical Flavouring Substances]
- Vitamin C
- Sweetener [INS 960]
[F] CC4
Our take
CleanPlate reviewA diluted juice drink led by apple
Real Activ Cranberry Juice is water with concentrated apple juice (13.5%) and concentrated cranberry juice (2.5%), citric acid, nature-identical flavours, added vitamin C and the sweetener steviol glycoside (INS 960). The pack says this equals 100% juice once reconstituted (80% apple, 20% cranberry).
CleanPlate scores it [F]CC4. The C for nutrition is middling: modest protein, fibre and micronutrients per 100 ml. The [F] marks that added vitamin C lifts the grade; without it it would be E. The C for ingredients reflects mostly refined or industrial ingredients (led by concentrated fruit juice), with additives that cost points: flavouring and steviol glycosides. The 4 for risk comes mainly from free sugar (11 g per 100 ml).
Claims vs reality
What the pack says, checked against the ingredient list and nutrition panel.
- On the packPartly true
“100% No Added Sugars+ & Preservative”
No sugar is added and no preservative is listed, but the 11 g of sugar per 100 ml all comes from the concentrates (the pack's own footnote says "contains naturally occurring sugars") and a sweetener is added on top.
- On the packHolds
“0% added sugars+ and 0% added preservative”
The panel declares 0 g of added sugar and the list has no preservative.
- Retail listingBe careful
“Rich in antioxidant”
Only vitamin C is declared (12 mg per 100 ml, 22.5% of the RDA in a 150 ml serve); no other antioxidant amount is printed.
How CC4 breaks down
Each grade is scored on its own. Here are the label numbers behind each one, per 100 ml.
Adequate nutrient density
- Protein
- 0 g
- Fibre
- Not declared
- Vitamins and minerals
- Vitamin C
- Energy
- 46 kcal
Scored on protein, fibre and twelve vitamins and minerals, against the Codex and FSSAI "source" and "high" levels, per 100 g and per 100 kcal.
Mixed processing and additives
- Base
- Water
- Sweeteners
- None added
- Additives
- 2
- Flagged
- None
Scored on how processed the ingredients are, which additives are used and why, and whether the label keeps its promises.
High risk
- Added sugar
- 0 g
- Sodium
- 5.8 mg
- Saturated fat
- 0 g
- Trans fat
- 0 g
Scored on free sugar, sodium, saturated fat and trans fat, each weighed by how strong the evidence of harm is.
[F] Added vitamins or minerals meaningfully lift this product's nutrition grade. Without them it would score lower.
A closer look
Does the label add up?
Water, concentrated apple and cranberry juice (13.5% and 2.5%), citric acid (330), nature-identical flavours, vitamin C and steviol glycoside (960).
Per 100 ml: 46 kcal, 0 g fat of which 0 g saturated, 11 g sugar of which 0 g added, 0 g protein, 5.8 mg sodium. Read from the pack image. Per 100 ml with per-serve (150 ml) %RDA. The pack declares vitamin C 12 mg per 100 ml, which the listing text lacked. Juice sugar counts as free sugar, so the 0 g added-sugar line does not lower the risk score. No fibre, saturated fat or trans fat line is printed.
Ingredients to watch
- Sugar from concentrateConcern
11 g per 100 ml, about 28 g in a 250 ml glass, all from apple and cranberry concentrate.
- Sweetener on topWorth watching
Steviol glycosides (INS 960) are added to the juice sugar and cost 2 points.
- Mostly waterWorth watching
The two concentrates are 16% of the drink.
- Added vitamin CFine
12 mg per 100 ml, about 30 mg in a 250 ml glass.
Common misconceptions
Myth: "No added sugar means low sugar"
The 11 g per 100 ml is close to a soft drink; it comes from the juice concentrates.
Myth: "A cranberry juice is mostly cranberry"
Cranberry concentrate is 2.5% of this drink; apple concentrate is 13.5%.
How often, and how
- Healthy adultsA few times a week
- ChildrenOccasionally
- Diabetes or prediabetesOccasionally, watch the sugar
Smarter ways to eat it
Dilute it
Top a small glass up with sparkling water to halve the sugar per serve.
Whole fruit
An apple or a handful of cranberries gives fibre that juice leaves out.
Common questions
Is Real Activ Cranberry Juice healthy?
Real Activ Cranberry Juice scores CC4 (Fair) on CleanPlate, which makes it an occasional-use product, where the concerns start to outweigh the positives. We found no major red flags on its label. On the plus side: No added sugar; Low sodium.
What does the CC4 score mean?
The first letter (C) grades nutritional value: adequate nutrient density. The second letter (C) grades ingredient and label integrity: mixed processing and additives. The number (4) grades risk nutrients (sugar, sodium, saturated fat): high risk. The [F] means added vitamins or minerals meaningfully lift the nutrition grade.
Last reviewed October 10, 2026. Scored with the CleanPlate method from the published label.