ORANGE SODAS

Information updated January 2024

Historically, Orange Sodas were made with real Orange Juice. We see below the progression of #1 U.S. brand, Fanta Orange.

Originally, Fanta Orange was made using local citrus . . . now, it has no real citrus and no real sugar and contains 4 ingredients banned at Whole Foods. (Sources: Historical Fanta can and bottle; Coca-Cola Fanta Web site 1/24; Whole Foods Web site 1/24; Source for Brand ranking: Statista 2024)

Shown below, here’s what’s in Orange Fanta today, owned by Coca-Cola. (Source: Coca-Cola Fanta Web site 1/24)

Fanta Orange has 4 ingredients banned at Whole Foods and, aside from the Carbonated Water, every ingredient has never been in any of our home kitchens to make a beverage >> these ingredients are circled in red and designated as Not In Kitchen™. (Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 1/24)

The #1 U.S. Orange Soda Fanta contains High Fructose Corn Syrup, 2 Artificial Colors >> Yellow 6 and Red 40, Citric Acid which is an FDA-recognized Chemical Preservative plus Sodium Benzoate, Natural Flavors, Glycerol Ester of Rosin, Modified Food Starch and Sodium Polyphosphates. (Source: U.S. FDA 2024)

Below is a look at the ingredients and sugar content in Fanta and some other popular Orange Sodas, noting which ingredients are banned at Whole Foods. (Sources: Brand Web sites and Walmart Web site 1/24)

Each of these 20oz. Orange Sodas contains multiple ingredients banned at Whole Foods and 2-3x more Added Sugar than the American Heart Association recommends for a child for an entire day. (Source for sugar recommendations: AHA 2024)

Similar to Fanta, Orange Crush was originally made using real fruit juice . . . not anymore.

Translation: Drink Orange Crush. Fruit juice concentrate soda. It’s better!

Each bottle of these 12oz. Orange Sodas below contains 2-5 ingredients banned at Whole Foods and almost 2x the AHA’s recommended daily amount of Added Sugar for a child (which is 25 grams of Added Sugar per day).

Every one of the Orange Sodas we’ve seen contains Citric Acid.

UNLESS SPECIFICALLY NOTED AS ‘NATURALLY-OCCURING CITRIC ACID’, CITRIC ACID IS NOT FROM CITRUS.

Historically, Citric Acid was derived from real citrus fruits. As one of the acids found in citrus fruits, Citric Acid is a natural preservative >> like the way we squeeze lemons onto avocados or guacamole to slow the oxidation/turning brown.

Today, Manufactured Citric Acid is made using Aspergillus Niger (a.k.a. Black Mold).

Although it is a preservative, Citric Acid adds a tangy sharp taste to foods + beverages so it often appears in items which are Citrus-flavored. Regardless of why Citric Acid is added, it is, nonetheless, a preservative.

Below are two examples of Orange Sodas — GuS Valencia Orange and Izze Sparkling Clementine — which would be Closest To Homemade if they did not contain FDA-recognized Preservative(s) and other ingredients Not In Kitchen.. (Sources: Utmost Brands GuS Web site 1/24; PAI Partners PepsiCo Izze Web site 1/24; U.S. FDA 2024)

Learn more about potential reactions to Manufactured Citric Acid from a study — Potential role of the common food additive manufactured citric acid in eliciting significant inflammatory reactions contributing to serious disease states: A series of four case reports

From the study:

“Citric acid naturally exists in fruits and vegetables. However, it is not the naturally occurring citric acid, but the manufactured citric acid (MCA) that is used extensively as a food and beverage additive. Approximately 99% of the world’s production of MCA is carried out using the fungus Aspergillus niger since 1919. Aspergilus niger is a known allergen.”

The conclusion of this study is :

“We cannot conclusively affirm that Manufactured Citric Acid is the causative factor in the subjects’ inflammatory symptoms. However, our findings demonstrate a significant likelihood that MCA may be the culprit and are suggestive of valid concerns which warrant proper double blind studies to determine presence or absence of harm.”

Source: National Library of Medicine U.S. Institutes of Health

The greater issue of concern is Accumulation >> it wouldn’t necessarily be a big deal if we consumed these Chemical Preservatives once in a while, but they are pervasive, especially in leading brands which tend to be from the biggest food companies. Check your pantry and fridge for just Citric Acid and you may be shocked by what you find. Click here to learn more about the study:

manufactured citric acid

Although it is not carbonated, I am including Hi-C Orange Lavaburst since many people mix it with Sprite at the Coca-Cola self-serve soda fountains to make a carbonated orange drink . . .

WHAT’S IN HI-C ORANGE LAVABURST AT MCDONALD’S? The large size has 80 grams of Added Sugar and — aside from the Water — all of the ingredients are Not In Kitchen >> we would never use any of these ingredients at home to make a beverage, including the five which are banned at Whole Foods. (Source for Coca-Cola Hi-C Lavaburst ingredients: McDonald’s Web site 1/24)

At McDonald’s, Hi-C Orange Lavaburst contains more sugar than Coca-Cola.

For perspective, a Large size Coca-Cola at McDonald’s has 77 grams of Added Sugar.

THE Hi-C ORANGE LAVABURST AT McDONALD’S IS NOT THE SAME AS THE Hi-C ORANGE LAVABURST IN A JUICE BOX. They are both Far From Homemade™, but the Hi-C Orange Lavaburst at McDonald’s (below right) has no real juice, contains 2 Artificial Colors and has 5 ingredients banned at Whole Foods. (Sources: Coca-Cola Hi-C Web site 1/24; McDonald’s Web site 1/24)

The Hi-C at McDonald’s is significantly higher in Added Sugar >> the 6oz. Hi-C juice box contains 8 grams of Added Sugar (12oz. = 16 grams of Added Sugar) and a 12oz. Extra Small Hi-C at McDonald’s contains 29 grams of Added Sugar.

THE GOOD NEWS: Maine Root Mandarin Orange Soda is Closest To Homemade with Fair Trade Certified Organic Cane Sugar.

*Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list*

Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list

Discover food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

Closest To Homemade® Master List

Follow us at: