Concerns over consumer understanding of the words 'pure' and 'freshly squeezed' led to the study, which many players believe is overdue.

Leading fruit juice firm Orchard House's sales and marketing director Andrew King said: 'Many juices are labelled fresh, pure, or freshly squeezed when they are simply not fresh or pure.

'We are delighted this initial step has been taken towards demystifying the complex labelling of fruit juice products.' The term 'pure' can only be applied to product that is 100 per cent natural fruit juice.

'Freshly squeezed' must have been squeezed and packaged within two days and have a shelf life of 14 days or less.

However, King feels the fruit juice sector has a responsibility to the consumer, regardless of the guidelines.

He said: 'The industry must make greater effort to educate consumers about the different types of fruit juice. If a consumer wants freshly squeezed orange juice, they must be certain of what they are buying and not something that has been preserved or reconstituted in any way. The labelling needs to reflect this clearly.'