Shoppers avoiding added sugar
Plain water avoids the flavoured-water label question. If you prefer fruit flavour, check whether the bottle says sugar-free, no added sugar or low sugar, then read its ingredients and nutrition label.
Who is this choice for?
Your preferred flavour and the point at which you pass through security shape the most practical choice.
Travellers packing a drink
Bottle size matters before screening. GOV.UK says containers larger than 100ml cannot pass through security at most UK airports; check the rules for each airport on your journey.
Travellers who prefer fizz with food
Plain sparkling water offers carbonation without choosing a fruit-flavoured drink. Check that you are picking plain sparkling water if that distinction matters to you.
What should you check?
Choose the drink type first, then check its label and whether the bottle size works at the stage of your journey when you will carry it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar label | Distinguish sugar-free, no added sugar and low sugar. Check sugars per 100ml and per bottle where shown. | I want flavour without assuming that a low-sugar drink contains no sugar. |
| Ingredients | Read the ingredients if sweeteners, flavourings or other additions affect your choice. A no-added-sugar label does not mean the drink has the same ingredients as plain water. | Plain water suits me if I would rather avoid the flavourings or sweeteners in a flavoured option. |
| Still or sparkling | Check whether the bottle is plain still water or plain sparkling water. Buxton describes a sparkling natural mineral-water option. | Fizz appeals to me with food, or I would rather have a non-carbonated drink. |
| Bottle and timing | Check the container volume and the departure and transfer airport rules. GOV.UK says containers over 100ml cannot pass security at most UK airports. | I need to know whether to pack a permitted container or get a larger bottle after screening. |
Common buying mistakes
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Packing a normal-size bottle for security
At most UK airports, the 100ml limit applies to container size, so partly emptying a larger bottle does not make it suitable to take through screening.
Check GOV.UK guidance and the current rules for your departure and transfer airports. If appropriate for your journey, take an empty refillable bottle or get water after security.
A bottle that exceeds the applicable limit may have to be surrendered at security.
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Reading ‘low sugar’ as ‘sugar-free’
A low-sugar flavoured drink can still contain sugar, so the two labels do not answer the same buying question.
If avoiding sugar is your priority, compare the sugar declaration per bottle and the ingredients, or choose plain water.
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Equating no added sugar with plain water
A no-added-sugar flavoured drink can contain sweeteners and flavourings. Sainsbury's describes its Strawberry & Kiwi example as a flavoured water drink with sweetener.
Read the ingredients if you want to avoid those additions; choose plain still or sparkling water if you do.
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Choosing a pack without planning when to drink it
Individual bottles in a multipack can each exceed the usual pre-screening container limit, even when the pack is convenient for another part of the journey.
Match the bottle size to where you will use it. Check airport rules before packing it for security, or plan to obtain a drink after screening.
Brand and retailer references
These product lines and retailer listings offer useful label examples; they do not establish what a particular airport shop carries.
Highland Spring
A spring-water brand with plain still and other water ranges.
- Highland Spring states that it sources its spring water from the Ochil Hills.
- Its listed 330ml still-water bottle exceeds the usual pre-screening container limit at most UK airports.
Evian
A natural mineral-water brand with on-the-go bottle formats described on its UK site.
- A Tesco Evian listing describes minerals including calcium, magnesium and potassium.
- The listed mineral composition alone does not establish a nutritional advantage over other plain waters for an airport meal.
Volvic
Offers plain natural mineral water alongside flavoured water ranges.
- The distinction between plain water and flavoured drinks gives shoppers different label options to compare.
- Volvic describes its regular Touch of Fruit range as low in sugars; do not treat every flavoured Volvic bottle as sugar-free.
Buxton
A natural mineral-water brand with still and sparkling formats.
- Buxton describes its plain sparkling mineral water as containing no calories.
- A stated mineral composition does not, by itself, show that it has a superior effect to other plain waters.
Tesco
A retailer whose Evian listing provides an example of bottled mineral-water product information.
- The listing identifies a plain mineral-water option and describes its mineral composition.
- Check the current bottle label when comparing product details, which can change.
Sainsbury's
A retailer with an own-label no-added-sugar flavoured-water listing relevant to ingredient comparisons.
- Its Strawberry & Kiwi listing identifies the drink as no added sugar and containing sweetener.
- That flavoured drink is not ingredient-equivalent to plain water.
Joybuy bottled-water options
These packs cover a sugar-free flavoured drink, plain sparkling water and plain mineral water. Each contains 500ml bottles, so check airport security rules before taking one to screening.
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Volvic Touch of Strawberry Sugar Free Flavoured Water 6x500ml
A strawberry-flavoured option if you want a drink labelled sugar-free rather than plain water. The pack contains six 500ml bottles; check the ingredients if you avoid particular sweeteners or flavourings. GOV.UK says bottles this size cannot pass security at most UK airports.
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Buxton Sparkling 8x500ml
A sparkling-water option if you prefer carbonation with food. The pack contains eight 500ml bottles; it is not a still-water choice, and bottles this size exceed the limit for taking liquids through security at most UK airports, according to GOV.UK.
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Evian Mineral Water 6x500ml
A plain mineral-water option in a pack of six 500ml bottles. Check the current bottle label if its precise nutrition or ingredients matter to your choice; GOV.UK says containers this size cannot pass security at most UK airports.
Questions about airport water
Can I take a 500ml bottle through UK airport security?
Not at most UK airports: GOV.UK says containers larger than 100ml cannot pass through security. Check your departure and transfer airports' current rules rather than assuming the same limit applies everywhere.
When should I get water for an airport meal?
If you want a bottle larger than your airport permits through screening, get it after security. Check the rules again if your journey includes another security check at a transfer airport.
Is flavoured water always sugar-free?
No. Volvic describes its regular Touch of Fruit range as low in sugars, which is not the same claim as sugar-free. Read the nutrition label and ingredients on the particular bottle; a no-added-sugar flavoured drink may also contain sweeteners.
Should I choose still or sparkling water with food?
Choose still water if you prefer no carbonation, or plain sparkling water if you enjoy fizz. The format is a taste choice; check the label if you want plain water rather than a flavoured drink.