Parents planning children’s snacks
The choice is about more than sugar. The NHS recommends water and milk as drinks for children, and its guidance for babies and young children cautions against fizzy drinks because they are acidic.
Who is choosing the drink?
Adults choosing a plain fizzy drink
If you want fizz without added sugar, check for an unflavoured sparkling water rather than assuming every drink in the sparkling-water aisle has the same ingredients. The exact pack label establishes what is in the bottle.
Shoppers considering flavoured drinks
A zero-added-sugar claim does not make a flavoured drink equivalent to plain water. Check its juice, sweeteners and acids, particularly if the drink is being considered for a child’s regular snacks.
What should you check first?
Start with who will drink it and how often, then compare the ingredients, sugars figure and pack format of the exact product.
A child’s regular snack drink
Choose when: Plain still water is the everyday option, with milk another drink identified by the NHS for children.
Bear in mind: Plain sparkling water has no added sugar when its ingredients are only water and carbon dioxide, but the British Orthodontic Society cautions that fizzy water is acidic.
An adult’s plain fizzy option
Choose when: An adult wants fizz without sugar from the drink and the selected sparkling water’s ingredients and nutrition panel confirm a plain variant.
Bear in mind: That choice does not make fizzy water the default regular drink for young children.
A flavoured sparkling drink
Choose when: An adult wants a particular flavour and has checked the full label rather than relying on a zero-added-sugar claim.
Bear in mind: Sanpellegrino’s Limonata Zero Added Sugar, for example, contains lemon juice and sweeteners, so it is not plain sparkling water.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar and ingredients | Read the full ingredient list and the sugars figure per 100ml on the exact pack. Distinguish plain water and carbon dioxide from drinks with juice, sugar or sweeteners. | I’d like a fizzy drink without sugar from the drink itself, so I need to check the selected variant rather than the brand name alone. |
| Children’s regular drinks | Consider the child’s age and how often the drink will be served. The NHS identifies water and milk as preferred drinks for children; the British Orthodontic Society cautions that sugar-free fizzy water is acidic. | For frequent snacks and between-meal drinks, I want plain still water available instead of treating sugar-free fizz as tooth-neutral. |
| Flavoured and zero-added-sugar drinks | Check for fruit juice, sweeteners and acids as well as sugars per 100ml. A zero-added-sugar claim does not say that the ingredients are only water. | If I choose a flavoured drink, I want to know how it differs from plain sparkling water before putting it with the family snacks. |
| Pack format | Check the bottle volume, number of bottles and exact variant. A multipack of smaller bottles serves a different carrying need from larger bottles for sharing. | For a snack table I may want larger bottles; for an outing, individual bottles may be easier to carry. |
Common label-reading mistakes
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Assuming sugar-free fizz is tooth-neutral
The British Orthodontic Society warns that even sugar-free fizzy drinks, including fizzy water, are acidic and can damage teeth.
For a child’s regular snack drink, choose plain still water rather than using a sugar-free claim as the deciding factor.
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Treating every flavoured water as plain water
Flavoured products can have different ingredients. Marks & Spencer lists apple juice concentrate and sugar in its Sparkling British Apple Spring Water, with 7.6g sugars per 100g.
Read the ingredients and nutrition panel for the exact flavour. If you intend to buy plain sparkling water, check that the chosen variant is plain.
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Stopping at “zero added sugar”
That wording does not rule out juice, naturally occurring sugars, sweeteners or acids. Sanpellegrino Limonata Zero Added Sugar contains lemon juice from concentrate and sweeteners.
Check the full label, especially when comparing a flavoured drink with plain water for family snacks.
Brand and range references
These examples show why the exact variant matters; a brand’s plain water and flavoured drinks should not be treated as interchangeable.
Highland Spring
Highland Spring lists plain sparkling water in several bottle and multipack formats.
- Its 6 x 1L Joybuy listing names natural sparkling mineral water as the ingredient, making that pack a plain sparkling option for adult household sharing.
- An unsweetened ingredient list does not remove the dental consideration for children who drink fizzy water often.
San Pellegrino
The plain sparkling natural mineral water and the flavoured Sanpellegrino drinks are different products.
- Joybuy lists the plain 6 x 500ml mineral-water pack with natural mineral water and carbon dioxide as ingredients and 0g sugars per 100ml.
- Sanpellegrino Limonata Zero Added Sugar contains lemon juice and sweeteners; the brand name alone does not identify a plain-water variant.
Perrier
Perrier describes its carbonated mineral water as sugar-free and calorie-free on its international website.
- Its brand description provides a starting point for identifying a plain sparkling-water variant.
- Check the exact UK product label and pack before applying that description to a purchase.
Tesco
Tesco lists own-label plain sparkling mineral water alongside flavoured sparkling-water products.
- Tesco Groceries lists British Natural Mineral Water Sparkling in 2L, 6 x 2L and 12 x 500ml formats.
- Check the exact listing and label before assuming a flavoured product has the ingredients of plain water.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s lists a British Bottled Spring Sparkling Water in a 2L bottle.
- Its product page lists spring water and carbon dioxide as the ingredients of that variant.
- For children’s regular drinks, a plain ingredient list does not remove the acidity concern associated with fizz.
M&S
M&S lists plain sparkling mineral water as well as flavoured sparkling products.
- The range includes Sparkling Irish Natural Mineral Water for shoppers seeking a plain-water variant.
- Its Sparkling British Apple Spring Water lists apple juice concentrate and sugar, with 7.6g sugars per 100g; check the specific product rather than the shelf category.
Plain sparkling water options on Joybuy
These sparkling-water packs are options to consider when an adult wants a plain fizzy drink or a pack for sharing. For children’s regular half term snacks, the NHS guidance favouring water and milk and the dental caution about fizz still apply.
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San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water 6 x 500ml
Six individual bottles for an adult who wants plain sparkling water when out or at home. The Joybuy listing names natural mineral water and carbon dioxide as ingredients and lists 0g sugars per 100ml. Fizz does not make it a routine drink choice for young children.
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San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water 6 x 1L
The six 1L bottles suit a household choosing a larger plain sparkling-water pack for adults. Check the ingredients and sugars figure on this exact pack rather than carrying details over from the 500ml listing; fizzy water is not the default regular drink for young children.
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Buxton Sparkling Water 8 x 500ml
Eight 500ml bottles offer an individual-bottle format for an adult outing or household snacks. Check the exact pack’s ingredients and sugars per 100ml if avoiding flavoured or sweetened drinks; do not treat fizz as a child’s routine drink on the strength of a sugar check alone.
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Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water 8 x 500ml
This eight-bottle pack provides 500ml portions for adults who prefer an individual bottle. Check the selected pack’s ingredients and sugars per 100ml for your dietary comparison. For children’s frequent snack drinks, choose plain still water instead of relying on the absence of flavouring alone.
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Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water 6 x 1L
Six 1L bottles provide a larger format for adults sharing sparkling water at home. The Joybuy listing names natural sparkling mineral water as the ingredient; check the exact pack’s nutrition panel if a sugars-per-100ml figure matters to your choice. The dental caution about frequent fizzy drinks for children still applies.
Questions about half term drinks
Is plain sparkling water an everyday snack drink for children?
Choose plain still water for children’s regular snacks instead. The NHS identifies water and milk as preferred drinks for children, while the British Orthodontic Society warns that even sugar-free fizzy water is acidic and can damage teeth.
Is a zero-added-sugar sparkling drink the same as plain sparkling water?
No. Sanpellegrino Limonata Zero Added Sugar, for example, contains lemon juice from concentrate and sweeteners. Read the ingredients and nutrition panel of the exact flavour rather than treating the front-of-pack claim as a description of the whole drink.
What should I look for on a sparkling-water label?
Check the ingredients first to distinguish plain water and carbon dioxide from products containing juice, sugar, sweeteners or acids. Then read sugars per 100ml on the exact pack and confirm that its bottle size and variant match the drink you intended to buy.
Can a flavoured sparkling water contain sugar?
Yes. Marks & Spencer lists apple juice concentrate and sugar in its Sparkling British Apple Spring Water, with 7.6g sugars per 100g. A flavoured product should therefore be checked individually rather than assumed to have the composition of plain sparkling water.