Canteens serving plain sparkling water
If lunch service calls for sealed, unflavoured individual drinks, compare 330ml can multipacks by the number of servings needed and the space available for storage.
Who are these packs for?
Canteens adding a flavoured choice
Fruit-infused cans can sit alongside plain sparkling water. Check the ingredients and nutrition information for the particular flavour before putting it on the lunch menu.
Workplaces organising service and waste collection
A canteen planning regular canned-drink service needs a collection route for empty cans. If the business also produces food prepacked for direct sale, the applicable food-labelling requirements need separate attention.
What should a canteen check?
Start with the choice between plain water and a separate flavoured option, then match the can count to lunch service and storage.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Individual servings | Confirm that the pack contains cans, not bottles; check the volume of each can and the number in the pack. Radnor Hills and Maison Perrier list 330ml plain-water cans in packs of 24 and eight respectively. | I need sealed drinks that can be handed out individually at lunch, with a pack count that fits the number of people served. |
| Plain or flavoured | Keep unflavoured water distinct from fruit-infused drinks. Check the selected flavour’s ingredients and nutrition panel rather than applying a claim about one DASH flavour to the whole range. | There should be a plain sparkling-water choice; flavour would be an additional option, not a replacement for it. |
| Pack size and storage | Compare total can count and volume, the space needed for unopened packs, and how often supplies can be replenished. A 24-can case takes more storage space than a smaller multipack. | If demand is uncertain, I would rather start with fewer cans; for regular lunch service, I need enough on hand between deliveries. |
| Waste and food information | Check how the workplace collects empty cans. For food the business produces prepacked for direct sale in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, check the Food Standards Agency’s requirements for the food name, full ingredients list and emphasised allergens. | Our lunch area needs a workable route for used cans, while the information shown with anything we prepare and pack must match how it is sold. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming every multipack contains cans
Tesco and Sainsbury’s also list bottled sparkling-water multipacks. A bottled pack does not meet a can-only lunch-service requirement, even when the drink itself is sparkling water.
Check the container, serving volume and unit count before ordering.
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Treating flavoured water as plain water
Flavoured drinks have product-specific ingredients. DASH describes its raspberry sparkling water as containing no sugar or sweeteners, but that statement should not be extended to every flavoured drink.
List plain and flavoured choices separately, and read the label for each selected flavour.
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Overlooking collection of empty cans
GOV.UK’s workplace-recycling guidance says arrangements in England changed on 31 March 2025. More canned drinks at lunch also mean more empty containers to collect on site.
Check the workplace’s waste-collector arrangements and make collection points clear to staff.
Relevant brand references
These examples help distinguish plain cans, flavoured cans and bottled alternatives; a brand’s inclusion does not mean every format is available in its range.
Radnor Hills
Radnor Hills lists plain sparkling spring water in a 24 x 330ml can case.
- The stated case format provides 24 individual 330ml cans.
- A full case needs more storage space than an eight-can multipack.
Maison Perrier / Perrier
Ocado lists Maison Perrier plain sparkling water in 8 x 330ml cans and identifies it as made by the makers of Perrier.
- The eight-can format offers a smaller plain-water pack.
- Check how many packs an eight-can format would require for a full lunch service.
DASH Water
DASH offers fruit-infused sparkling water; Sainsbury’s lists DASH 330ml cans in flavoured multipacks.
- DASH describes its raspberry sparkling water as containing no sugar or sweeteners.
- These are flavoured drinks, so check the ingredients of the specific flavour selected.
S.Pellegrino
S.Pellegrino describes a plain sparkling natural mineral water in a 33cl can.
- The stated can size is 33cl, equivalent to 330ml.
- Confirm the pack format for that exact plain can before placing a multipack order.
Highland Spring
Highland Spring sparkling water appears in bottled multipacks listed by Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
- Tesco and Sainsbury’s list an 8 x 500ml sparkling-water bottle pack.
- That bottled format does not satisfy a strict can-only requirement.
Sparkling-water cans on Joybuy
These multipacks cover a plain 24-can option and three fruit-flavoured 12-can options for individual workplace lunches. Choose the flavour separately from the pack size, and check the selected product’s packaging before service.
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Cano Water Sparkling Ring Pull, 24 x 330ml
A plain sparkling-water option for individually served workplace lunches. The pack contains 24 x 330ml cans; allow storage space for the larger case.
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DASH Water Wonky Raspberries, 12 x 330ml
A raspberry-flavoured sparkling-water option alongside plain cans. The multipack contains 12 x 330ml cans; DASH describes its raspberry drink as containing no sugar or sweeteners. Check the selected pack’s label before service.
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DASH Water Wonky Grapefruits, 12 x 330ml
A grapefruit-flavoured choice for a canteen offering more than plain sparkling water. The pack contains 12 x 330ml cans; check its ingredient and nutrition information for the exact variant served.
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DASH Water Wonky Oranges, 12 x 330ml
An orange-flavoured alternative for individual lunch servings, supplied as 12 x 330ml cans. It is not plain sparkling water; check the selected pack’s ingredients and nutrition panel before adding it to the menu.
Questions about canteen service
Should a canteen serve plain or flavoured sparkling water?
Serve plain sparkling water when the lunch offer needs an unflavoured option; Radnor Hills and Maison Perrier list plain 330ml can multipacks. Add flavoured cans separately if variety is useful, and check the ingredients of each selected flavour rather than treating it as plain water.
How should a workplace collect used drinks cans?
Check the arrangements with the workplace’s waste collector and make the collection point clear at lunch service. GOV.UK says workplace-recycling arrangements in England changed on 31 March 2025; workplaces elsewhere in the UK should check the rules and collection arrangements that apply locally.
When does a canteen need an ingredients and allergen label?
Keep the manufacturer’s packaging information available for sealed cans. If a food business produces food prepacked for direct sale in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, the Food Standards Agency says it must show the food name and a full ingredients list with allergenic ingredients emphasised.