Lunch shoppers cutting back on sugary drinks
If you are picking up a sandwich, salad or snack, plain water avoids adding sugar from the drink. The NHS also suggests diet, sugar-free and no-added-sugar alternatives when swapping from sugary drinks.
Who is choosing?
People who prefer fruit flavour
A flavoured water may appeal if plain water does not. Check both the sugars figure and ingredients: a product declaring 0g sugars may still contain sweeteners.
People carrying a drink to work or on a journey
A 500ml bottle and a 330ml can serve different preferences for size and fizz. Check whether the product is sold individually or as a multipack before choosing it for one lunch.
What should you check?
Start with the drink’s sugars and energy figures, then decide whether flavour, carbonation and pack size fit the lunch you are buying.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars and energy | Read the nutrition panel for the exact drink. Compare figures on the same basis, such as per 100ml or per serving, and note the serving size. | I want my lunch drink to add no sugar. Plain water is the straightforward choice; the NHS also recommends diet, sugar-free or no-added-sugar swaps for sugary drinks. |
| Flavour and ingredients | Check the sugars figure and ingredients separately. For example, Volvic lists 0g sugars per 250ml for its Peach & Raspberry drink, alongside acesulfame K and sucralose. | Fruit flavour appeals to me, but I want to know whether the particular drink contains sweeteners. |
| Still or sparkling | Choose the carbonation you prefer, then check the individual product’s nutrition and ingredients. Volvic lists 0g sugars and 2 calories per 330ml can for Touch of Strawberry Sparkling, which contains sweeteners and citric acid. | If I want fizz with lunch, I still need to check what is in that sparkling drink; carbonation does not tell me its sugar content. |
| Size and pack | Check the volume of each bottle or can and the number in the pack. The cited options include 330ml cans, 500ml bottles and larger flavoured-water bottles. | For a drink I can carry straight away, the individual container matters. A multipack makes more sense when I have somewhere to keep the remaining drinks. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming fruit-flavoured water has no sweeteners
“Sugar-free” describes sugars, not the whole recipe. Volvic lists acesulfame K and sucralose in its Peach & Raspberry drink.
Read the ingredients as well as the nutrition panel. Choose plain water if you want to avoid sweeteners, or check the exact flavoured product before buying.
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Treating “natural mineral water” as a diet claim
Defra describes natural mineral water by its source and composition. That designation alone does not establish a weight-management advantage over another unsweetened water.
For a lower-sugar lunch drink, compare sugars, energy, serving size and ingredients rather than relying on the water category.
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Overlooking the pack format
A small bottle can be convenient to carry even when it is sold only as part of a larger pack. Flavoured-water bottles also come in sizes beyond a single lunchtime drink.
Check both the container volume and pack quantity if you need something for immediate use.
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Relying on an old product listing
Pack details and food information can change; Tesco advises reading the physical label for its Perthshire Still Water listing.
Check the current pack and label before checkout, particularly when a specific nutrition figure or ingredient affects your choice.
Brand references for water and flavoured options
Highland Spring
Its flavoured-still range is an option for shoppers who want fruit flavour in a still drink.
- Highland Spring declares no added sugar, 0g sugars and 1kcal per 100ml for the range.
- The cited 750ml and 1.25L formats are larger than a single 500ml lunch bottle.
Volvic
The cited products include sugar-free flavoured still water and a sparkling flavoured can.
- Volvic declares 0g sugars for the cited Peach & Raspberry still drink and Touch of Strawberry Sparkling can, using different serving sizes on their labels.
- Both cited products list sweeteners; the sparkling can also lists citric acid.
Buxton
Sainsbury’s lists Buxton still natural mineral water as a pack of eight 500ml bottles for on-the-go occasions.
- The 500ml bottle format can be carried separately for lunch.
- The cited product is an eight-bottle pack, rather than a single-bottle purchase.
Evian
Evian identifies a 500ml natural mineral-water bottle for on-the-go use.
- The cited bottle provides a 500ml plain-water format.
- A mineral-water designation or particular mineral profile does not, by itself, establish a diet advantage.
Tesco
Tesco Perthshire Still Water is listed as a 12 × 500ml multipack for planned use rather than one immediate drink.
- Individual 500ml bottles can be set aside for packed lunches.
- Tesco advises checking the physical label because food information can change.
Joybuy product options
These options cover plain still water and sugar-free flavoured still water for lunch. Several are multipacks, so check the pack quantity if you need just one drink today.
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Volvic Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime Sugar Free, 6 × 500ml
A flavoured still-water option in individual 500ml bottles, supplied as a six-pack. The product description declares 0.0g sugars and 3 calories per 250ml and lists sucralose and acesulfame K; check the ingredients if you prefer to avoid sweeteners.
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Cano Water Still Resealable, 12 × 500ml
Plain still water in resealable 500ml cans for carrying with lunch. The listed nutrition values are 0g sugars and 0 kcal per 100ml. This is a 12-pack, so it suits keeping cans for more than one occasion rather than buying a single drink.
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FIJI Water Natural Artesian Still, 24 × 330ml
Plain still water in 330ml bottles that can fit a smaller lunch format. The listed nutrition values are 0g sugars and 0 kcal per 100ml. The 24-bottle pack is a bulk purchase, not a single drink for an immediate lunch.
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Highland Spring Sugar Free Strawberry Still, 1.25L
A strawberry-flavoured still drink for someone who wants flavour without declared sugars. Its listing gives 0g sugars and 1kcal per 100ml and identifies sucralose as a sweetener. The 1.25L bottle is larger than the smaller formats shown here for one lunch.
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evian Mineral Water, 6 × 500ml
Plain mineral water in 500ml bottles for carrying with lunch, supplied as a six-pack. The product description lists water as the ingredient. If you need exact product nutrition figures for comparison, check the bottle label.
Questions about lunch drinks
Is plain bottled water a sensible choice for a lower-sugar lunch?
Yes, if you want a drink without sugar from the drink itself. The NHS recommends water and suggests swapping sugary drinks for diet, sugar-free or no-added-sugar alternatives.
Are sugar-free flavoured waters the same as plain water?
No: check each drink’s ingredients as well as its sugars figure. Volvic lists sweeteners in the cited sugar-free still and sparkling products, while Highland Spring declares 0g sugars and 1kcal per 100ml for its flavoured-still range.
Does “natural mineral water” mean a better diet drink?
The designation alone does not establish a diet advantage. Defra describes natural mineral water by its source and composition; for a lunch drink, check the nutrition information and choose the format you want.
Should I choose still or sparkling water with lunch?
Choose according to whether you want carbonation, then check the particular drink’s label. Fizz does not determine sugar content: Volvic’s cited Touch of Strawberry Sparkling can declares 0g sugars per 330ml but lists sweeteners and citric acid.
How should I store bottled water bought for lunch?
Follow the instructions on the bottle you buy. Tesco’s Evian 500ml listing says to store it in a clean, cool, dry place away from sunlight, strong odours and chemicals.