Travellers avoiding added sugar
If you want water with a meal and a straightforward label, start with unflavoured still or sparkling water. Check the ingredients separately when considering a flavoured drink.
Who is this choice for?
Travellers avoiding sweeteners or flavourings
A sugar-free description does not settle this choice. Volvic’s Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Summer Fruits, for example, lists sweeteners and flavourings, so read the full ingredient list if you avoid them.
Passengers travelling with hand luggage
GOV.UK says containers over 100ml cannot pass through security at most UK airports. Check your departure airport’s rules before bringing water, or consider an empty refillable bottle and the facilities available after security.
What should you check before buying?
Choose the type of water you want with your food, then check the label and where you will obtain the bottle in relation to security.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | Read the ingredient list, not just the no-added-sugar or sugar-free wording. For flavoured water, check for sweeteners, flavourings and other listed ingredients. | I want to know whether my drink is plain water or a flavoured product, especially if I avoid particular ingredients. |
| Water style | Choose still or sparkling according to whether you want carbonation. Check a flavoured product’s own label rather than assuming it has the same ingredients as plain water. | With this meal, would I prefer still water, bubbles or a flavoured drink? |
| Security | Check your departure airport’s current liquid rules and the bottle’s volume. GOV.UK says containers over 100ml cannot pass through security at most UK airports, even when partly full. | I need water at the gate without having to leave a bottle behind at security. |
| Purchase location | Check the shops or refill facilities at your airport and terminal. A brand or supermarket product listing does not establish what a particular terminal stocks. | I would rather decide whether to refill or buy water after security before I travel. |
What can catch you out?
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Assuming “no added sugar” means plain water
A flavoured product can meet a sugar-related preference yet contain ingredients you would not find in a plain-water ingredient list. Volvic’s Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Summer Fruits, for example, lists citric acid, flavourings, a preservative and sweeteners.
Read the ingredients and nutrition panel on the exact bottle. If avoiding those additions matters to you, choose a plain water with an ingredient list that meets your requirements.
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Bringing a large bottle to security
GOV.UK says containers larger than 100ml cannot pass through security at most UK airports, even when partly full.
Check your departure airport’s current instructions. You could take an empty refillable bottle for use after security or obtain water airside; check transfer-airport rules if your journey includes another screening point.
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Expecting a listed product at your terminal
A brand page or supermarket listing describes a product, but it does not tell you what a particular airport shop will have when you travel.
Use the product label to decide what type of water you want, then check your airport’s shop and refill information for your terminal.
Brand and product-range references
These product ranges offer useful label comparisons; their inclusion does not establish availability at your airport.
Highland Spring
Its range includes plain sparkling water and flavoured still water, giving you two different routes if you do not want plain still water.
- Highland Spring describes its sparkling water as having nothing added but bubbles and markets its flavoured still range as having no added sugar.
- The flavoured range is not the same as plain water; check the ingredients and bottle size of the flavour you choose.
Volvic
Volvic lists a 500ml plain natural mineral water alongside flavoured Touch of Fruit products.
- The 500ml natural mineral water offers an unflavoured option.
- Volvic’s Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Summer Fruits lists citric acid, flavourings, potassium benzoate, acesulfame K and sucralose. Check those ingredients if you also avoid additives.
Buxton
Buxton lists plain still natural mineral water in a 500ml format.
- Its still-water range offers an unflavoured choice if you do not want carbonation.
- Read the exact bottle label when its ingredient or nutrition information matters to your decision.
Tesco
Tesco’s British Natural Mineral Water 12 × 500ml is a retail multipack for comparing a plain-water label before travelling.
- Tesco lists “Mineral Water” as the product’s ingredient.
- This supermarket listing does not establish availability at an airport or after security.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's lists British still spring water in a 500ml format.
- The product page identifies it as still spring water and states the bottle size.
- Check the bottle’s current label and do not assume the supermarket product is stocked at your airport.
Joybuy water options
These listings include still mineral water, sparkling water and strawberry-flavoured still water in the stated bottle and pack sizes. Choose the type that suits your meal, and check the bottle label and your airport arrangements before travel.
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San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, 6 × 0.5L
Consider this sparkling mineral water if you want bubbles rather than a flavoured drink with food. The pack contains six 0.5L bottles; check your airport’s liquid rules before taking one through security.
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Volvic Still Natural Mineral Spring Water, 6 × 500ml
This still mineral-water multipack is an option if you prefer water without bubbles alongside a meal. It contains six 500ml bottles; check the bottle’s ingredients and nutrition panel if those details govern your choice.
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Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water, 8 × 500ml
Choose this type if you want sparkling rather than still water with food. The pack contains eight 500ml bottles; check the exact bottle label if you need to confirm its ingredients or nutrition information.
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evian Mineral Water, 6 × 500ml
This mineral-water multipack offers individual bottles for a meal after security. It contains six 500ml bottles; read the exact bottle label if you need to confirm its ingredients or sugars value.
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Highland Spring Sugar Free Strawberry Still Water, 1.25L
Consider this strawberry-flavoured still water if you want flavour rather than plain water with food. The bottle is 1.25L; read its full ingredient list if you avoid sweeteners or other additives, and check airport liquid rules before carrying it through security.
Questions about water at the airport
Does “no added sugar” mean a drink contains no sugars?
No: the phrase describes what has been added, not necessarily the drink’s total sugars. Check the sugars line on the nutrition panel and read the ingredients on the particular bottle.
Is sugar-free flavoured water the same as plain water?
No. Flavoured water can have a different ingredient list: Volvic’s Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Summer Fruits lists citric acid, flavourings, potassium benzoate, acesulfame K and sucralose. Read the label if any of those ingredients affect your choice.
Can I take a 500ml bottle through UK airport security?
At most UK airports, not if the bottle contains water: GOV.UK says containers larger than 100ml cannot pass through security even when partly full. Check your departure airport’s current rules before travelling.
What if I need water after security or on a connecting journey?
Check where you can buy or refill water after security at your departure terminal. If you will pass through security again during a connection, check that airport’s rules before carrying a bottle onwards.
Could I refill a bottle instead of buying water?
Possibly. Bristol Airport says it has tap-water refill stations throughout its terminal, but facilities vary by airport. Check your departure airport’s refill information and security instructions before you travel.