Is Fruit Juice Raw?

by Emily
(Florida)

Emily's Question: How do you know if fruit juice, or juice in general, is raw? Like the kind you buy from the store? And how do you know which types are/aren't? If it's 100% juice? If it's refrigerated? Not from concentrate? How do you know?

Andrew's Answer:

Hi Emily.

Prepackaged juices you buy at your average grocery store are not raw. It has been pasteurized, which means heated to preserve it for long periods of time and to kill any bacteria that may be in it.

This goes for all the big brands, including those marked "from concentrate," "100% juice", etc.

Some supermarkets, farm stores, and health food stores bottle their own juice on site and sell it raw. These are almost always labeled "unpasteurized" due to federal laws, and will often have a warning label.

Stew Leonards, A US North Eastern grocery chain, usually has unpasteurized orange juice, grapefruit juice, and some others, for instance.

Obviously, the juice bars, health food stores, and restaurants that squeeze your juice out on site are also selling raw, fresh juice.

To understand why heating any food isn't a good idea, check out this article

Finally, learn how juice fits into a healthy raw food diet here.