For an everyday school packed lunch, choose plain still water in a resealable bottle rather than sparkling-water cans. The NHS identifies water and milk as suitable drinks for children, while Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises that fizzy drinks are acidic and can harm teeth if given too often. If considering plain sparkling water occasionally for an older child, check the ingredients, can format and school’s packed-lunch policy before buying a multipack.
For a drink that can be used throughout the school day, plain still water in a resealable bottle is the straightforward choice. NHS guidance identifies water and milk as suitable drinks for children, and NHS dental guidance cautions against giving fizzy drinks too often.
If considering an occasional can, distinguish plain sparkling mineral water from flavoured or fruit-based drinks. Check the school’s packed-lunch policy before buying.
Compare the number and size of individual cans with how the child drinks at school. A conventional can cannot be closed again after opening, so a multipack may be less practical for drinking gradually.
Decide whether the drink is for everyday lunches or an occasional change, then check the label, container and school policy.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday drink | Compare plain still water in a resealable bottle with a fizzy can. The NHS identifies water and milk as suitable drinks for children; Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust warns that fizzy drinks can harm teeth if given too often. | I need a drink for regular school lunches, not just an occasional change. Plain still water in a bottle I can close again fits that use. |
| Ingredients | Read the ingredients and sugars value in the unit printed on the label. Check for juice, sugar, sweeteners, flavourings and added acids rather than relying on the words ‘sparkling water’. | If I choose fizz occasionally, I want to know whether the can contains plain sparkling water or a flavoured drink. |
| Can format | Check the volume of each can, the number in the pack and whether that particular can is resealable. Highland Spring notes that ordinary cans cannot be resealed like bottles. | Will the child finish a can at lunch, or need to keep drinking from the same container later in the day? |
| School policy | Read the school’s current packed-lunch and drinks policy before buying fizzy drinks in bulk. Department for Education school-food guidance concerns food and drink provided in state-funded schools in England; it does not answer what every child may bring from home. | I need to know whether this particular school allows sparkling water in a packed lunch. |
Some flavoured products also contain juice, sugar or added acids. Marks & Spencer lists 7.6g sugars per 100g for its Sparkling British Apple Spring Water, alongside apple juice concentrate, sugar, citric acid and malic acid.
Check the full ingredient list and the sugars value in the label’s stated unit before choosing a multipack.
A drink without sugar can still be fizzy. Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises that fizzy drinks are acidic and can harm teeth if given too often.
Choose plain still water for routine lunches; if considering sparkling water for an older child, treat it as an occasional option.
An unfinished conventional can cannot be closed again. Highland Spring highlights this limitation when water is drunk over several hours.
Check whether the specific container is resealable, or pack still water in a bottle that can be closed between drinks.
The Department for Education guidance cited for England addresses food and drink provided in state-funded schools. It does not, by itself, tell you what an individual school allows in a home-packed lunch.
Read the school’s current packed-lunch and drinks policy before buying sparkling-water cans for that purpose.
A brand name alone does not establish whether a drink is plain sparkling water or whether its pack format suits a school lunch.
Highland Spring describes a plain sparkling-water range in bottles.
S.Pellegrino lists carbonated natural mineral water in a 33cl can.
Perrier offers carbonated mineral water in a slim-can format.
M&S lists still and sparkling drinks, including multipacks within its water range.
Tesco is a retailer whose listings include both S.Pellegrino mineral water and San Pellegrino fruit-based soft drinks.
These Cano Water multipacks offer two can formats to consider for an older child who occasionally wants sparkling water, if the school allows it. For an everyday packed lunch, plain still water in a resealable bottle remains the more suitable choice.
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The resealable can format may matter if an older child will not finish an occasional sparkling drink at lunch.
The pack contains twelve 500ml cans. Check the school’s drinks policy before buying for packed lunches; being resealable does not remove the NHS dental caution about fizzy drinks given too often.
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The smaller ring-pull can format is worth considering only if an occasional sparkling drink is likely to be finished at lunch.
The pack contains twenty-four 330ml cans. An opened ring-pull can cannot be closed again; check the school’s drinks policy and do not treat fizzy water as the routine lunch drink.
Choose plain still water in a resealable bottle for everyday lunches instead. The NHS identifies water and milk as suitable drinks for children, while Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust warns that fizzy drinks can harm teeth if given too often.
Read its ingredients and nutrition panel rather than relying on the name. For example, Marks & Spencer lists apple juice concentrate, sugar, citric acid and malic acid in its Sparkling British Apple Spring Water, with 7.6g sugars per 100g.
Check that school’s current packed-lunch and drinks policy. Department for Education school-food guidance addresses food and drink provided in state-funded schools in England; it does not establish one packed-lunch rule for every school across the UK.
A conventional opened can cannot be resealed, so check the particular can format before buying. Highland Spring notes that resealability matters when water is drunk over several hours; a bottle that closes again is an alternative for that use.
No. The NHS dental guidance from Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust cautions that fizzy drinks, including sugar-free ones, are acidic and can harm teeth if given too often. Check sugar content to understand what is in the drink, but do not use that figure alone to decide on an everyday lunch drink.