Tesco has launched a ‘3-a-day’ smoothie - despite Department of Health guidelines stating smoothies can only count for two portions of fruit or veg .

The retailer this week rolled out three one-litre smoothies (rsp: £2.49) that carry the words ‘3 of your 5 a day’ on the front of the pack. Under DH guidelines, one portion of a consumer’s five-a-day is defined as 80g of fruit or veg, or 150ml of unsweetened fruit juice - but they state a smoothie can only count as two portions, regardless of how much is drunk.

Tesco said the fact a 330ml portion of its drink contained 150ml of juice, 80g of fruit purée and 80g of veg purée meant they achieved three of the five-a-day servings.

Food must meet certain criteria to use the government’s official 5 A Day logo, the DH said this week, but added that it could not stop companies using their own five-a-day logo and making up their own criteria.

“People rely on the 5 A Day brand to eat healthily so we expect companies not to use misleading information,” a DH spokesman added.

Nutrition consultant and health claims expert Janice Harland said she would question whether a smoothie could provide three portions of fruit or veg, adding that it would depend on whether Tesco had managed to retain the functionality of the fibres. “There is also the question of whether a drink could be as satiating as solid food,” she added. Tesco said it worked hard to help customers eat healthily: “We would still recommend people eat a variety of fruit and vegetables - fresh, dried or frozen, every day,” it added.

The retailer could be challenged if it advertises its new drinks. In 2006, at a time when government guidelines stated juice and smoothies could only count for one portion of fruit or veg, the ASA banned ads for a product that claimed to count for two.

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