20 juices in the test
Ökotest: No orange juice “Very good” – even organic juices fail
Ökotest took a close look at 20 orange juices, and the result was sometimes sobering
© Öko-Test
Ökotest rated 20 orange juices, and a number of juices did poorly. Expensive organic juices also failed the examination.
Ökotest has examined 20 orange juices for their ingredients, such as their aroma, taste as well as their production and packaging – including orange juices from well-known brands such as Hohes C, Granini, Innocent. Five organic juices were also tested. The magazine reports on this in its current issue, which appeared at the end of December.
Organic juices do poorly in Ökotest
Among the organic juices, the “Beutelsbacher Direktsaft Orangensaft Demeter” at a liter price of 5.41 euros with an overall rating of “poor” came out worst, among the conventional ones, the “Innocent direct juice orange without pulp” at a liter price of 3.32 euros Overall grade “unsatisfactory”. Both received “poor” in the production and transparency test results. Production and transparency, such as the supply chain, made the juices come off badly. The ingredients and the quality of the aroma of the “Beutelsbacher” also had a negative effect on the rating.
Four juices failed with “Poor” and none received the overall rating “Very good”, with three juices achieving “Very Good” in the so-called sensory test. According to the testers, they taste “like freshly squeezed” and are all not-from-concentrate juices. Apart from two juices (both “satisfactory”), all other juices were rated “good”. The overall rating of “good” was given to the “Albi Orange” from the manufacturer Albi at a price of 1.69 euros per liter. Pesticides could not be detected in any of the juices tested.
Working conditions in the production of orange juice “partly bitter”
All conventionally produced orange juices come from Brazil, the organic juices tested come from Mexico, Paraguay, South Africa, Spain and Egypt. According to Ökotest, the working conditions in Brazil, Mexico and South Africa are “sometimes bitter”. Studies have shown that the wages of the workers who harvest the oranges are so low that they often cannot even meet their basic needs and those of their families.
According to the Ökotest, the first choice for packaging is returnable glass bottles – especially when filling regionally. Due to their low weight, storage is best in cardboard boxes as they leave a smaller carbon footprint.
Source: Ökotest
You can find the complete investigation by Ökotest here