Students who prefer fruit flavour
An explicitly no-added-sugar or sugar-free flavoured water offers a fruit-flavoured choice for lecture lunch. Check the exact bottle if particular sweeteners or other ingredients matter to you.
Who is each option for?
Students who prefer plain water
Plain still water avoids the fruit flavourings found in flavoured varieties. If you like fizz, plain sparkling water is another option; choose between them according to your preference at lunch.
Students who buy bottled water regularly
Think about how many bottles you will use during a week and whether refilling a reusable bottle fits your campus routine. A 2019 University of Northampton survey of 490 students reported that one in three paid for bottled water daily; that local finding is not a figure for all UK students.
What should you check?
Plain water
Choose it when: you do not need fruit flavour with lunch.
Trade-off: still and sparkling water offer a choice of fizz, but not fruit flavour. Buxton describes its natural mineral-water range as plain still or sparkling.
No-added-sugar flavoured water
Choose it when: you want fruit flavour and the exact bottle states ‘no added sugar’ or ‘sugar free’.
Trade-off: the ingredient list may include sweeteners or other additives; Joybuy’s Volvic Lemon & Lime Sugar Free 6 × 500 ml listing includes both.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Label claim | For flavoured water, check the exact flavour and pack for ‘no added sugar’ or ‘sugar free’. Do not treat ‘low sugar’ as the same claim. | I want fruit flavour without choosing a bottle that says only ‘low sugar’. |
| Ingredients | Read the exact bottle’s list for sweeteners, acids, flavourings and preservatives. Joybuy lists acesulfame K, sucralose and potassium benzoate for its Volvic Lemon & Lime Sugar Free 6 × 500 ml pack. | A flavoured option appeals to me, but I want to know which other ingredients it contains. |
| Bottle format | Check the volume of each bottle and the number in the pack. A six-pack of 500 ml bottles and a single 1.25 L bottle serve different carrying and storage needs. | Will I carry one bottle between lectures, or keep a larger bottle or pack elsewhere? |
| Repeat use | Consider how often you need a bottled drink and whether you can refill a reusable bottle during your campus day. | If I need water on most lecture days, I want a routine that works beyond one lunch break. |
Common buying mistakes
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Treating ‘low sugar’ as ‘no added sugar’
Volvic UK lists 2.3 g sugars per 100 ml for Touch of Fruit Strawberry 750 ml, which it describes as low sugar. That description does not establish a no-added-sugar claim.
If no added sugar is your requirement, look for that explicit statement on the exact flavoured bottle.
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Assuming sugar-free means no sweeteners
Joybuy’s Volvic Lemon & Lime Sugar Free 6 × 500 ml listing reports 0.0 g sugars per 100 ml and lists acesulfame K and sucralose among its ingredients.
Check the ingredient panel as well as the sugar-free wording if you have ingredient preferences.
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Choosing a pack before considering what to carry
A multipack provides several individual bottles, whereas a single 1.25 L bottle puts the full volume in one container.
Decide which bottle you will take to your lecture lunch before choosing between those formats.
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Buying a bottle every day by default
In a 2019 survey of 490 students, the University of Northampton reported that one in three paid for bottled water daily. The finding describes those local respondents, not students across the UK.
Consider whether a refillable bottle and access to a refill point would suit your own lecture routine.
Relevant brand ranges
Highland Spring
Highland Spring sells plain spring water and a flavoured still range for those who want fruit flavour.
- Highland Spring describes its flavoured still range as having no added sugar.
- Check the exact flavour’s label and ingredients rather than relying on a range-wide description.
Volvic
Volvic offers plain mineral water alongside differently labelled flavoured-water products.
- Volvic UK identifies its Strawberry and Lemon & Lime Sugar Free 750 ml products as sugar free.
- Volvic UK’s Touch of Fruit Strawberry 750 ml is described as low sugar and lists 2.3 g sugars per 100 ml. Check which range and flavour you are choosing.
Buxton
Buxton is a reference for plain natural mineral water rather than fruit-flavoured water.
- Buxton describes its natural mineral-water range as plain still or sparkling.
- Its sparkling option contains added carbon dioxide for fizz; choose still if you do not want carbonation.
evian
evian is a plain natural mineral-water option for a lunch drink without fruit flavour.
- The brand describes its water’s mineral profile on its UK site.
- If an explicit no-added-sugar statement matters to you, check the exact pack rather than assuming a brand description supplies it.
Joybuy water options
These options include flavoured water labelled sugar free, Highland Spring flavoured still water and a plain mineral-water multipack. Check the bottle size and exact label against what you want to take to lunch.
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Volvic Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime Sugar Free, 6 × 500 ml
A lemon-and-lime flavoured still option for taking an individual 500 ml bottle to lunch. Joybuy’s listing reports 0.0 g sugars per 100 ml and names acesulfame K, sucralose and potassium benzoate among its ingredients. This is a six-bottle pack.
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Volvic Touch of Strawberry Sugar Free, 6 × 500 ml
A strawberry-flavoured sugar-free option supplied as six individual 500 ml bottles. Check the ingredients on the exact pack if particular sweeteners or additives matter to you.
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Highland Spring Sugar Free Strawberry Still Water, 1.25 L
A single strawberry-flavoured still bottle for someone who prefers one 1.25 L container to a multipack of smaller bottles. Its title states sugar free; check the exact label and ingredients before choosing it for lunch.
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evian Mineral Water, 6 × 500 ml
A plain mineral-water choice supplied as six 500 ml bottles, without the fruit flavour of the other options here. Check the exact pack label if you require an explicit no-added-sugar statement.
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Highland Spring Apple & Blackcurrant Still Water, 1.25 L
An apple-and-blackcurrant flavoured still option in a single 1.25 L bottle. Highland Spring describes its flavoured still range as having no added sugar; check this bottle’s label and ingredients to confirm it meets your requirement.
Questions about choosing water
Does ‘low sugar’ mean ‘no added sugar’?
No. They are different claims: Volvic UK describes Touch of Fruit Strawberry 750 ml as low sugar and lists 2.3 g sugars per 100 ml. If no added sugar is your requirement, look for an explicit claim on the exact flavoured bottle.
Can sugar-free flavoured water contain sweeteners?
Yes. Joybuy’s Volvic Lemon & Lime Sugar Free 6 × 500 ml listing reports 0.0 g sugars per 100 ml but includes acesulfame K and sucralose in its ingredients. Read the exact pack if you avoid particular ingredients.
Should I choose still or sparkling water for lunch?
Choose still if you do not want fizz; choose sparkling if you prefer it. Buxton says its sparkling natural mineral water has carbon dioxide added before filling. Neither format is necessary for a lecture lunch.
What should I check on a flavoured-water bottle?
Check the exact flavour and pack for a ‘no added sugar’ or ‘sugar free’ claim, then read its ingredient list. A range name or a ‘low sugar’ description alone does not answer both questions.