Fruit juice in the diet of Australian children

An analysis of the 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey revealed that Australian children, on average, consumed 122 mL of fruit juice on the day of the survey. This intake is considered, on the basis of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, to be consistent with a healthy diet. The analysis also revealed the percentage of total energy (2%) contributed by fruit juice has not changed since the survey in 1995 (2%) and that the diets of children consuming fruit juice contained less fat and saturated fat, more folate, potassium and vitamin C than of those not consuming juice. An important finding is that just over half of the fruit juice consumed by Australian children is with meals and mid-meals. Dental health advice supports and encourages such a combination owing to the protection this may provide teeth. The survey shows that fruit juice makes a marked contribution to helping Australian children achieve fruit serve recommendations thereby supporting the retention of fruit juice in the fruit serving advice of the soon to be revised Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.