Choose plain sparkling water if you want fizz without sugar or sweeteners. If fruit flavour matters, check the ingredients: an unsweetened fruit-infused drink differs from a no-added-sugar drink that contains sweeteners or naturally occurring sugar. For drinks you sip frequently, consider acidity as well as sugar; Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust identifies fizzy and fruit-flavoured drinks as acidic drinks that can contribute to dental erosion.
For travel, picnics or self-catering stays, plain sparkling water offers fizz without added flavouring or sweeteners. If flavour makes the switch more appealing, compare the sugars and ingredients of individual flavoured drinks. The NHS names water and sugar-free, diet or no-added-sugar drinks as alternatives to sugary fizzy drinks.
Fruit-infused sparkling water can fit this preference when its label confirms no sweeteners. Do not rely on a no-added-sugar claim alone: Tesco’s Lemon & Lime example contains sucralose, while M&S Lemon & Lime contains steviol glycosides.
A lower-sugar choice does not remove the need to consider drinking frequency. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust identifies fizzy and fruit-flavoured drinks as acidic drinks that can contribute to dental erosion; still water is another option throughout the day.
Choose it when: You want fizz without fruit flavouring or sweeteners for a picnic, holiday table or everyday drink.
Bear in mind: It will not provide the fruit flavour some shoppers want, and frequent sipping of fizzy drinks still raises an acidity consideration.
Choose it when: You want fruit flavour but wish to avoid both sugar and sweeteners, provided the individual label confirms that combination.
Bear in mind: Fruit-flavoured fizzy drinks can be acidic even when their sugar content is low.
Choose it when: Flavour matters and the drink’s particular sugars and sweeteners fit your preferences.
Bear in mind: No added sugar does not mean sugar-free: Sanpellegrino says its Zero Added Sugar range contains naturally occurring sugar.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars | Compare sugars per 100ml and per serving on the nutrition panel. Check whether a flavoured drink contains juice rather than assuming no added sugar means no sugar. | I want a fizzy alternative to a sugary soft drink and need to know how much sugar is in the bottle I will drink. |
| Sweeteners and flavour | Read the ingredients for sweeteners, juice and flavourings. Tesco lists sucralose in its Lemon & Lime No Added Sugar drink; M&S lists steviol glycosides in its sugar-free Lemon & Lime drink. | Fruit flavour appeals to me, but I would choose differently depending on whether the drink is unsweetened or uses a sweetener. |
| Bottle format | Check bottle size, multipack quantity and what will be practical to carry or share. Highland Spring lists plain sparkling water in 500ml and 1.5L bottles and a 6 x 1L pack. | For an outing, I may prefer separate bottles; for a shared holiday table, a larger bottle may be easier to use. |
| Drinking frequency | Consider when and how often you will sip a fizzy or fruit-flavoured drink. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust identifies these as acidic drinks that can contribute to dental erosion. | If I tend to sip a drink throughout the day, I want still water available too. |
Those are different checks. Sanpellegrino says its Zero Added Sugar drinks contain naturally occurring sugar; Tesco’s Lemon & Lime No Added Sugar drink contains sucralose, while M&S Lemon & Lime contains steviol glycosides.
Read the sugars value and ingredients separately, then choose according to what you want to avoid.
Fruit juice, acids and sweeteners can make flavoured products different from plain sparkling water. The word ‘water’ alone does not tell you which ingredients are present.
Use the exact product label to distinguish an unsweetened fruit-infused drink from a sweetened or juice-containing one.
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust identifies fizzy and fruit-flavoured drinks as acidic drinks that can contribute to dental erosion. Removing sugar does not remove that consideration.
Include still water among your drinks rather than relying on prolonged, continual sipping of fizzy drinks.
A replacement drink may have different sugars, juice or sweeteners. Sainsbury’s says it may offer a substitute when an item is unavailable unless you have asked not to receive one.
Check the replacement’s ingredients and nutrition panel before accepting it; Sainsbury’s says customers may refuse an item on delivery.
Use these ranges as starting points, then check the label of the exact drink and pack you intend to buy.
Offers plain sparkling mineral water as well as flavoured sparkling drinks.
Perrier’s international product information describes its carbonated mineral water as sugar-free and calorie-free.
A plain sparkling spring-water option in different bottle and multipack formats.
Lists plain sparkling mineral water alongside flavoured no-added-sugar options.
Its Dash Orange Sparkling Water listing describes a fruit-flavoured option with no sweeteners.
Lists both plain and flavoured sparkling-water products.
These bottles and multipacks suit the plain sparkling-water route, with smaller bottles for separate servings and 1L bottles for sharing. Check the current pack label for ingredients and nutrition details that matter to you.
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A six-pack of 0.5L bottles for separate servings on an outing. Choose this plain sparkling-water format if you do not need fruit flavour; check the pack label for current ingredients and nutrition.
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The 1L bottles offer a larger plain sparkling-water format for a shared table. The pack contains six bottles; check the current label for ingredients and nutrition.
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Eight 500ml bottles provide separate servings for a picnic or day out. This is a plain sparkling-water option; check the current pack if particular ingredients or nutrition values are important to your choice.
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Six 1L bottles offer a larger format for shared holiday use. Choose it for plain sparkling spring water rather than a flavoured drink, and check the current pack label if you need an exact sugars value.
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The stated bundle is four packs of eight 500ml bottles, a format to consider for a larger shared supply. Confirm the bundle contents before ordering and check the current pack label if an exact sugars value matters.
No. A drink with no added sugar can still contain naturally occurring sugar: Sanpellegrino says this applies to its Zero Added Sugar range. Sugar-free also does not mean sweetener-free; M&S lists steviol glycosides in its sugar-free Lemon & Lime drink.
Plain sparkling water is the simplest route if you do not need fruit flavour. For a flavoured option, check the exact ingredients: Sainsbury’s Dash Orange listing says it contains no sweeteners, whereas Tesco’s Lemon & Lime No Added Sugar drink lists sucralose.
Yes, depending on the product. The Sainsbury’s Dash Orange listing describes it as having no sugar and no sweeteners. Read the current label rather than assuming the same applies to other fruit-flavoured waters.
No. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust identifies fizzy and fruit-flavoured drinks as acidic drinks that can contribute to dental erosion. Consider how frequently you sip them and include still water among your drinks.
Check the substitute’s sugars and ingredients before accepting it, particularly if you avoid sweeteners or juice. Sainsbury’s says it may offer substitutions for unavailable items unless you ask not to receive them, and that you may refuse an item on delivery.