Canteen buyers seeking an unsweetened drink
Plain still water gives staff a choice without flavourings or sweeteners. Plain sparkling water adds a fizzy option; check the exact bottles when choosing either format.
Who is choosing?
Employees who prefer a flavoured drink
A no-added-sugar or sugar-free flavoured water may suit this preference, but its ingredients can include sweeteners. The front-of-pack claim and the ingredients list answer different questions.
Managers planning drinks for the working day
Consider how staff can obtain drinking water beyond the lunch offer, as well as which bottled formats work for canteen service.
What should you check?
Decide whether the lunch range needs plain water, fizz or flavour, then check each proposed bottle’s label and pack format.
Plain still water
Choose it when: the canteen wants an unsweetened drink without flavourings.
Consider: it does not provide the fruit flavour some staff may prefer.
Plain sparkling water
Choose it when: staff want fizz without choosing a flavoured drink.
Consider: carbonation will not suit everyone who prefers still water.
No-added-sugar flavoured water
Choose it when: flavour matters and the exact drink meets the canteen’s sugar and ingredient requirements.
Consider: these drinks can contain sweeteners and other ingredients not found in plain water.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar and ingredients | Read the exact product’s sugar claim, sugars value on the nutrition panel and ingredients list. Check separately for sweeteners. | I want to know whether a flavoured drink meets the canteen’s requirements, rather than treating “no added sugar” as “unsweetened”. |
| Drink style | Check whether the bottle is still or sparkling, and plain or flavoured. Similar brand and flavour names can identify different products. | Some colleagues prefer still water; others would choose fizz or flavour at lunch. |
| Serving format | Compare bottle volume, bottles per pack and whether the drink will be offered individually or used to replenish canteen stock. | For a grab-and-go lunch, I need bottles that work as individual servings; larger bottles may suit a different service arrangement. |
| Water access | Plan how drinking water remains accessible during the working day, independently of the bottled lunch selection. | A lunch-only drinks offer does not cover the times when people are working away from the canteen. |
Common buying mistakes
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Reading “no added sugar” as “no sweeteners”
Tesco’s no-added-sugar Strawberry Still Flavoured Water lists sucralose, while Volvic Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Strawberry lists acesulfame K and sucralose. Neither label describes plain, unsweetened water.
For each proposed drink, check the claim, the sugars value and the ingredients list. Choose plain water where the canteen excludes sweeteners.
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Choosing the wrong product from a familiar range
Volvic describes its standard Touch of Fruit Strawberry as low sugar and sweetened with sugar and stevia leaf extract; its separate Sugar Free Strawberry product lists 0g sugars.
Match the full product name and current label to the buying requirements, not just the brand or fruit flavour.
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Planning drinks only around lunch
Bottles selected for lunch do not, by themselves, establish how staff obtain drinking water throughout the working day.
Plan accessible drinking-water provision separately from the canteen’s still, sparkling and flavoured choices.
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Assuming a repeat order has an unchanged label
Tesco notes that food products can be reformulated, so a previously suitable flavoured drink may need another ingredient check.
Confirm the exact pack and inspect its ingredients and nutrition panel on delivery before adding it to the regular lunch range.
Brand and retailer references
These examples show how plain and flavoured ranges differ; check the exact product rather than applying a range description to every bottle bearing the same name.
Highland Spring
Highland Spring lists plain still and sparkling water alongside a flavoured still-water range.
- Its still-water page lists bottles from 330ml to 2L, offering different serving and stock formats.
- The brand described its flavoured range at launch as sugar free; check the current label of the particular flavour and size before ordering.
evian
evian publishes mineral composition for its 1L natural mineral water.
- For that 1L product, evian lists calcium at 80mg/L, magnesium at 26mg/L and sodium at 6.5mg/L.
- Those figures describe mineral composition, not an advantage over other plain waters; check the chosen pack format for lunch service.
Volvic
Volvic offers a Touch of Fruit Sugar Free range as well as differently labelled flavoured products.
- Volvic’s Sugar Free Strawberry 750ml page lists 0g sugars and the sweeteners acesulfame K and sucralose.
- The standard Touch of Fruit Strawberry is described separately as low sugar, so the flavour name alone does not identify the sugar-free variant.
Buxton
Buxton lists plain natural mineral water in still and sparkling formats.
- Buxton’s still-water page lists calcium at 55mg/L, magnesium at 19mg/L and sodium at 24mg/L.
- A six-bottle pack of 1.5L still water is a different service format from individual lunch bottles; choose the pack for its intended use.
Tesco
Tesco lists no-added-sugar Strawberry Still Flavoured Water in 500ml multipack and 1L formats.
- The referenced product pages list 0g sugars and identify sucralose in the ingredients.
- These are flavoured drinks with a sweetener, not plain water; inspect the current bottle label if ingredients affect the canteen’s choice.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s product pages describe no-added-sugar Fruit Slurps flavours in six-packs of 250ml bottles.
- The referenced Blackcurrant and Orange & Pineapple pages identify sucralose and acesulfame K, making the sweeteners clear to a buyer.
- Check whether the 250ml format suits the intended lunch service and whether the exact flavour can be ordered.
Joybuy bottled-water options
These options include plain bottled water and sugar-free flavoured varieties in individual-bottle multipacks or larger bottles for canteen stock. Match the format and ingredients to the way lunch drinks will be served.
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Volvic Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime Sugar Free, 6 x 500ml
The six 500ml bottles offer individual portions for a flavoured lunch-drink selection. Joybuy’s listing for this variety states 0.0g sugars per 100ml and lists acesulfame K and sucralose; check the delivered label if the canteen restricts sweeteners.
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Buxton Sparkling Water, 8 x 500ml
Consider this eight-bottle multipack when individual lunch servings need to include a sparkling option. The 500ml bottle size is stated in the product name; check the current pack label for its full ingredients and nutrition details.
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evian Mineral Water, 6 x 500ml
This six-pack provides 500ml bottles for individual lunch servings of mineral water. If the canteen needs a particular still or sparkling format, confirm it on the exact pack before ordering.
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Highland Spring Sugar Free Strawberry, 6 x 1.25L
This sugar-free strawberry still flavoured water comes in six 1.25L bottles, a format to consider for canteen stock rather than individual grab-and-go servings. Check the exact bottle’s ingredients, including any sweeteners, against the canteen’s requirements.
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Highland Spring Still Water, 6 x 1.5L
The six 1.5L bottles provide a plain still-water format to consider for replenishment. Each bottle is larger than an individual lunch portion, so plan how the water will be served and check the current pack label.
Frequently asked questions
Does “no added sugar” mean flavoured water has no sweeteners?
No. Tesco’s no-added-sugar Strawberry Still Flavoured Water lists sucralose, and Volvic’s Sugar Free Strawberry lists acesulfame K and sucralose. Read the exact product’s ingredients as well as its sugar claim and nutrition panel.
Should a workplace lunch offer include plain, sparkling or flavoured water?
Start with plain still water if the aim is an unsweetened option, then consider plain sparkling water for staff who prefer fizz. A labelled no-added-sugar or sugar-free flavoured drink is another choice if its ingredients fit the canteen’s requirements; it is not interchangeable with plain water.
How should a canteen compare bottle sizes?
Match bottle size to how the drink will be served. A 500ml multipack provides individual bottles, while larger bottles may be intended for stock replenishment or another serving arrangement. Highland Spring lists plain still bottles from 330ml to 2L, so check the quantity and bottle volume of the exact pack.
Is an online description enough for a repeat order?
Check the delivered bottle as well. Tesco notes that food products can be reformulated, so confirm the ingredients, nutrition panel, pack size and best-before date before putting a repeat order into service.