Choose plain still water for an unflavoured household supply, or plain sparkling water if the family prefers fizz. Sugar-free flavoured water offers another option when flavour helps replace sugary drinks, but check the sugars figure and ingredients on the exact product. Whichever type you choose, make sure its pack size and after-opening instructions work for your household.
Plain still or sparkling water keeps the choice unflavoured. If family members prefer a flavoured drink, check a sugar-free option’s nutrition panel and ingredients rather than treating it as identical to plain water. The NHS suggests sugar-free and no-added-sugar drinks as alternatives to sugary drinks.
Compare the total volume and number of bottles before choosing a large pack. A single large bottle needs room in the fridge after opening if its label requires refrigeration; smaller sealed bottles can be opened one at a time.
Check the exact flavoured-water ingredients for sweeteners, acids, flavourings and preservatives. Volvic’s Lemon & Lime Sugar Free 500ml, for example, lists all four types of ingredient despite listing 0g sugars per 100ml.
Choose the type of drink the household will use, then check the label, pack format and storage instructions for the exact product.
Choose when: You want an unflavoured main supply for the family.
Bear in mind: A large bottle may need fridge space after opening; follow its own storage and use-by instructions.
Choose when: You want fizz without choosing a flavoured drink; the NHS suggests sparkling water for people who dislike plain still water.
Bear in mind: Check that the product is unflavoured if avoiding added flavourings or sweeteners matters to you.
Choose when: Flavour makes a sugar-free alternative to sugary drinks more appealing to the household.
Bear in mind: Sugar-free products can contain sweeteners and other added ingredients, so check each flavour’s label.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars | Read sugars per 100ml on a flavoured drink’s nutrition panel. Check the exact flavour rather than relying on a range name. | I’m replacing sugary drinks and want to know what is in the bottle I’m choosing. |
| Ingredients | Read the full list for sweeteners, acids, flavourings and preservatives. Volvic lists these on its Lemon & Lime Sugar Free 500ml product. | A zero-sugar label matters to me, but so does whether anyone in the household avoids particular ingredients. |
| Pack size | Compare bottle volume, bottle count and total pack volume. Check whether you have room for the unopened pack and any opened bottle that needs chilling. | Several people will use the water, but the pack still has to fit in our cupboards and fridge. |
| After opening | Follow the exact bottle’s storage instructions. Sainsbury’s says to refrigerate its British Bottled Still Spring Water 5L after opening and use it within 3 days. | We need a bottle size we can finish within its stated period after opening. |
| Water type | Check whether the label describes plain still water, plain sparkling water or a flavoured drink. If mineral composition matters, read the composition on the exact natural mineral water label. | I want to distinguish an unflavoured drink from a flavoured one, rather than assuming every bottled water has the same ingredients. |
Volvic’s Lemon & Lime Sugar Free 500ml lists 0g sugars per 100ml, but its ingredients include citric acid, flavouring, a preservative and sweeteners.
Read both the nutrition panel and ingredients list for the exact flavour. Choose an unflavoured product if those added ingredients do not suit your household’s preferences.
Sainsbury’s instructs shoppers to refrigerate its British Bottled Still Spring Water 5L after opening and use it within 3 days. That instruction affects how much fridge space and time the household needs.
Check the bottle’s own directions before choosing its size; a multipack lets you leave some bottles sealed until needed.
Plain, flavoured, spring and natural mineral water are different descriptions. For natural mineral water in England, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs sets conditions for the designation and requires composition to be stated on the label.
Read the exact product description and ingredients. If mineral composition matters to your choice, compare the figures printed on the relevant labels.
These range examples show what to look for on labels; a brand name alone does not establish the ingredients or storage instructions of a particular bottle.
Its listed plain still range includes 1.5L and 2L bottles, alongside sparkling and no-added-sugar flavoured options.
Offers plain natural mineral water and Touch of Fruit Sugar Free flavoured drinks.
Buxton describes its natural mineral water range as plain still and sparkling.
An unflavoured natural mineral water option; a Sainsbury’s listing includes a 6 x 1.5L pack.
Its own-label still natural mineral water listing includes a 5L bottle.
Its spring-water listings include a 6 x 2L pack and a 5L bottle, alongside flavoured-water options.
These options include plain still water for a family supply, a plain sparkling pack for those who prefer fizz, and sugar-free flavoured packs in different bottle sizes.
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A multi-bottle plain still-water option for a household shop. Check the pack’s after-opening instructions when planning fridge space.
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A strawberry-flavoured pack for a household choosing a sugar-free drink. Read the exact pack’s nutrition panel, ingredients and after-opening instructions before choosing it for everyone.
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A four-case option for a household planning to store multiple smaller bottles. Check that you have room for the full quantity and follow the individual bottles’ label instructions.
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A sparkling-water multipack for a household that prefers fizz. Check the pack label for its after-opening storage instructions.
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A smaller-bottle flavoured option for sharing or carrying alongside a household’s main water supply. Volvic lists 0g sugars per 100ml for its Lemon & Lime Sugar Free 500ml product; its ingredients include sweeteners, citric acid, flavouring and potassium benzoate.
Plain water is a straightforward choice when the household wants an unflavoured drink. If flavour helps someone swap from sugary drinks, a sugar-free flavoured option is worth considering too; check its nutrition panel and ingredients rather than assuming it is the same as plain water.
Yes. Volvic lists 0g sugars per 100ml for Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime Sugar Free 500ml, alongside citric acid, flavouring, potassium benzoate and the sweeteners acesulfame K and sucralose. Check the current label of the flavour you plan to buy.
For Sainsbury’s British Bottled Still Spring Water 5L, the retailer says to refrigerate it after opening and use it within 3 days. Follow the instructions on your exact bottle, as they may differ.
Yes. The NHS suggests sparkling water as an option for people who dislike plain still water. If you want to avoid added flavourings or sweeteners, check that the sparkling product you choose is plain.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs says the designation in England is subject to conditions concerning the water’s underground source and stable properties, and its composition must be stated on the label. That England-specific guidance should not be taken as a statement of the rules elsewhere in the UK.