AriZona is one of the most popular canned tea brands in the US, and green tea is arguably the brand's most popular flavor. This is one of the most affordable green teas in the US market, and the brand describes this product as "mellow and chill with a hint of sweetness."
But is AriZona green tea good for you? What's in this drink other than green tea? Does it contain any questionable additive ingredients? And which version of this product is the healthiest?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in AriZona green tea based on clinical studies, to give our take on whether or not this drink is good for you.
We'll also share our thoughts on which AriZona green tea product is the healthiest, and explain why AriZona was sued over its ingredients in 2022.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in AriZona Green Tea are shown above.
Green tea is unsurprisingly the first ingredient, and has a number of health benefits.
A 2006 medical review described green tea as having the following effects:
"anti-hypertensive effect, body weight control, antibacterial and antivirasic activity, solar ultraviolet protection, bone mineral density increase, anti-fibrotic properties, and neuroprotective power."
Honey has anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties, according to a medical review published in the Pharmacognosy Research journal.
There are three ingredients in this drink that we consider to be questionable from a health perspective.
High fructose corn syrup increases the risk for obesity and other negative health outcomes, even compared to other caloric sweeteners, according to a 2009 medical review.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer that can cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals, as we documented in our article on is v8 healthy.
Natural flavor is a better choice than artificial flavor, but natural flavor can still contain solvents and preservatives according to a 2009 medical review.
It's also important to consider the added sugar dose (primarily from high fructose corn syrup).
One "Tallboy" of AriZona Green Tea contains 42 grams (g) of added sugar, which is 84% of the Daily Value (DV).
A 2014 medical review reported that higher intake of added sugar is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Overall, we do not believe that AriZona Green Tea is good for you due to the high added sugar dose and the two inactive ingredients discussed above.
Which AriZona Green Tea is Healthiest?
AriZona sells several different green tea drinks.
We consider the 16.9 fluid ounce version, ingredients shown below, to be the healthiest option:
Cane sugar is used instead of high fructose corn syrup, and as we documented in the previous section, this was shown in a medical review to be a healthier alternative.
The added sugar dose per can is also 19% lower (34 g vs 42 g).
This version is packaged in glass, while the larger version is packaged in plastic.
This is relevant because most plastic products release estrogenic chemicals according to a medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal.
We still don't consider this green tea to be healthy overall, but we consider it to be the best option currently sold by AriZona from a health perspective.
Why Was AriZona Sued?
AriZona was sued in December of 2022 over allegations of false advertising.
The plaintiff highlighted the fact that AriZona markets its products as "all natural" despite containing unnatural ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and malic acid, according to TopClassActions.
At the time of publishing this article, we can't find any information about whether this case is ongoing or has been dismissed.
From a health perspective, we don't think this matters, because it's a dispute about marketing.
This type of issue is why we recommend that consumers always read the ingredient label and try to avoid relying on marketing to inform product choices.
Our Clean Green Tea Pick
Pique Japanese Sencha Green Tea is our top green tea pick. It costs $16 for 14 servings at the time of publishing this article, or only $1.14 per serving.
The only ingredient in Pique Green Tea is organic green tea. There are no additives like sweeteners or flavoring compounds.
Pique Green Tea comes in crystallized form and can be mixed into water, without any need for preparation or a teapot, which makes this product highly convenient.
