Yes, most supermarkets do now stock several brands of Acai Juice. You can usually find Sambazon and Bossa Nova in single serving sizes in the chilled section, and often some of the mega brands like V8 on the shelves. We have a mini-review on those brands below, and will be adding more in the coming days, as well as a poll to let visitors vote on their favorites.

In general, supermarkets do not stock the best quality Acai Products, as they are forced to compete on price rather than quality. The bigger the brand name, the less expensive their product will be, and the less actual acai juice you will be getting.

In addition to the price wars the big brands must battle to find shelf space, they also demand a product that can sit in the warehouses and on the shelves for 12-18 months. Unfortunately, a whole Acai Puree that contains the pulpy fiber and omega 6 & 9 fats will not last that long.

So, they either “clarify” it, by straining out the pulp. Or, they freeze-dry the puree to powder, then “reconstitute” it by adding water. This product is very stable and can even be called 100% Acai Juice, no matter how much water they add when reconstituting it. But it has almost none of the good omega fats and fiber, and much less of the antioxidents than Acai Puree. Then, to make more money, these mega brands often mix the juice with less expensive fruit juices. They end up with 10-20% acai in the finished product.

We do not mean to say that the Acai Juice you find in the supermarket is worthless. It is probably better for you than many other juices on the shelves. Just realize what you are getting. Some of the most commonly available brands are review below. I particularily enjoy the Bossa Nova.

Supermarket brand Acai Juices

Naked Juice


For taste, this is my absolute favorite, hands down. Like a lot of their juices, they use purees for the Acai and Banana. So it has a nice thick texture. Like all the other retail brands, it’s not really an acai juice (check out the ingredients – water and apple juice first), and has a lot of calories. But is a nice choice to grab after a workout. $4 for 15 ounces.

Ingredients: Water, Apple Juice, Pomegranate Juice Concentrate, Acai Puree, Banana Puree, Red Grape Juice Concentrate, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor, Soy Lecithin.

Sambazon


The Original Blend contains a mixture of: Organic Acai Puree, organic agave, organic lime juice and contains less than 0.5% of organic natural flavors, organic soy lecithin and citric acid. Although this product uses some puree, and therefore retains some acai omega fatty acids, amino acids and fiber, it is watered down quite a bit and contains less than 20% acai berry in the final product. They have several different flavors that are mixed with different fruit juices. Price is normally around $4.95 for 8 ounces

Ingredients: Organic Acai Juice, Organic Agave Organic Acerola Juice, Organic Blueberry Juice, Organic Pomegranate Juice, Organic Natural Flavors, Organic Soy Lecithin, Citric Acid.

Bossa Nova


The Original Flavor contains a mixture of: Wild-harvested Acai Juice, Organic Agave Nectar, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid. This is a clarified juice, so is lacking important acai nutrients such as omega fatty acids, protein (amino acids) and fiber. But it is not mixed with other juices, other than the Agave Nectar used as a sweetener. It is also less watered down than most supermarket brands, and tastes very nice! Is a bit more expensive than others at nearly $5 for 8 ounces.

V8 Acai Fusion

The 800 pound gorilla of juice brands is now jumping on the Acai Bandwagon! Of course, this is an Acai Juice in name only – just check out the ingredients below. It has a little reconstituted Acai “juice”, but is far less than 10% of the total. It doesn’t taste anything like Acai, but is probably a good choice to get for the kids because of that. And is very inexpensive at $7.99 for 46 ounces.

Ingredients:

Reconstituted Vegetable Juice Blend (Water and Concentrated Juices of Purple Carrots, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes), Reconstituted Fruit Juice Blend (Water and Concentrated Juices of White Grapes, Apples, Acai, Blueberries, Limes), Contains Less than 2% of the Following: Plant Sterols, Natural Flavoring, Lemon Juice Solids, Malic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Natural Flavoring (Contains Malic Acid), Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate).

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