# The primary colors of fruit juice.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-primary-colors-of-fruit-juice/202414>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 18, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-primary-colors-of-fruit-juice/202414 "2003-09-18T17:37:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![smootman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@smootman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smootman)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-primary-colors-of-fruit-juice/202414/1 "2003-09-18T17:37:32Z")

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why do popsicles and other “artificially-flavored-yet-contains-real- juice” types of candy/juice all seem to use either apple juice, grape juice, or peach juice? Are these the “primary colors” of fruit? Does apple and grape equal strawberry? what’s the point?

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**Author:** ![Grither](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grither/32/425_2.png) [@Grither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grither)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-primary-colors-of-fruit-juice/202414/2 "2003-09-18T17:49:48Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by smootman \*  
> \*\*why do popsicles and other “artificially-flavored-yet-contains-real- juice” types of candy/juice all seem to use either apple juice, grape juice, or peach juice? Are these the “primary colors” of fruit? Does apple and grape equal strawberry? what’s the point? \*\*

Because apple and pear juices (the two I see most often in these mixed juice cocktails) are pretty sweet, and don’t have lots of flavor of their own. So they can use them to sweeten a juice cocktail, and they don’t have to work too hard to cover up the apple or pear flavor.

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**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-primary-colors-of-fruit-juice/202414/3 "2003-09-18T18:01:05Z")

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Also because they are **cheap**. They can use the bland juices, call it “real fruit juice”, and use cheap artificial flavours to give it a more exotic taste. In the same way, the jam in biscuits etc is often “raspberry flavour plum jam” or something similar. (Apple jam is also used.)

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-primary-colors-of-fruit-juice/202414/4 "2003-09-18T22:58:37Z")

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It also lets them say “No added sugar”. Effectively, apple, grape, and pear juices are “all-natural” sugar water. The effects on the body are essentially the same as just dissolving table sugar in tap water, but people think it’s healthier, so it sells.