For a weekly shop, choose plain sparkling water if you want fizz without added flavourings or sweeteners, and check the total volume if it is a regular household drink. If you want flavour without sweeteners, check the exact flavoured product; if you prefer a sweeter diet-style drink, read its ingredients rather than assuming “zero sugar” means unsweetened. These are adult drink choices: NHS guidance advises against fizzy drinks for babies and young children.
If sparkling water is a staple at home, compare the total litres in a pack and the space needed to store it. Tesco’s sparkling-water range, for example, includes both large bottles and multipacks of smaller bottles.
If you want an alternative to a sugary fizzy drink, decide whether you also want to avoid sweeteners. The NHS suggests diet, sugar-free or no-added-sugar drinks as swaps for adults, and mentions sparkling water as an option for people who prefer it to still water.
Check each flavour separately. A flavoured sparkling water can contain flavourings without sweeteners, while another can list both a sweetener and an added acid. The ingredient list makes that distinction clearer than the aisle category.
Choose the type of drink first, then compare labels and pack sizes for the people who will use it.
Choose it when: You want fizz without added flavourings or sweeteners; check the ingredients of the exact bottle.
Trade-off: It will not provide the fruit flavour or sweetness some adults want from a fizzy drink.
Choose it when: You want flavour but do not want sugar or sweeteners; Sanpellegrino describes its S.Pellegrino Essenza range in those terms.
Trade-off: Check each variant’s ingredients and pack size rather than applying one flavour’s label to the whole range.
Choose it when: An adult wants a sweeter alternative to a sugary fizzy drink and is comfortable with the listed sweeteners.
Trade-off: Little or no sugar does not mean no sweetener or added acid; NHS guidance does not recommend diet or reduced-sugar drinks for babies and young children.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar and ingredients | Read sugars per 100 ml and the ingredient list on the exact variant. For a plain option, check whether the ingredients list water and carbon dioxide without flavourings or sweeteners. | I want a fizzy drink without choosing a sweetened one. If avoiding flavourings matters too, I will check the ingredients rather than rely on the word “sparkling”. |
| Sweeteners and flavour | Look for named sweeteners and “with sweetener(s)” wording. Compare flavours individually: Marks & Spencer lists steviol glycosides and citric acid in its Summer Berries Sparkling Water, while Sanpellegrino describes S.Pellegrino Essenza as having no sweeteners. | Fruit flavour appeals to me, but I want to know whether it comes in a drink with or without sweeteners. |
| Pack format | Compare bottle size, bottle count and total litres. Check whether larger bottles suit home use or smaller bottles suit taking individual portions out. | For drinks mainly kept at home, I need enough total volume for the week; for drinks taken out, individual bottles may be more convenient. |
| Intended drinker | Check who the drinks are for, not just their sugar figure. NHS guidance says fizzy drinks are acidic and should not be given to babies and young children; it also advises against diet or reduced-sugar drinks for them. | If I am shopping for young children as well as adults, I will keep their routine drinks separate from the adults’ fizzy options. |
Plain mineral water and flavoured diet-style water can sit together but have different ingredient lists. The San Pellegrino plain-water listing names natural mineral water and carbon dioxide; M&S Summer Berries Sparkling Water lists citric acid and steviol glycosides.
Check the ingredients and sugars per 100 ml for each new flavour or variant. “Zero sugar” alone does not tell you whether a drink contains a sweetener.
Six 500 ml bottles provide 3 litres, while six 1-litre bottles provide 6 litres. Bottle count therefore does not tell you how long a household pack might last.
Compare total litres alongside bottle size, storage space and whether you need individual portions away from home.
Removing sugar does not remove the concern about fizzy drinks identified in NHS guidance. The NHS also advises against diet and reduced-sugar drinks for babies and young children.
Keep the adults’ sparkling-drink choice separate when planning drinks for young children; NHS guidance recommends water and milk for them.
Ingredients and storage directions can differ between products, including products sold under a similar sparkling-water description.
Read the label on the bottle or can you are buying, including its ingredients, nutrition information, best-before date and instructions for storage after opening.
These examples show how plain and flavoured ranges differ; the name on the bottle does not replace a check of the exact product label.
Its plain Scottish sparkling spring water is offered in individual bottles and larger household formats.
Its plain sparkling natural mineral water and S.Pellegrino Essenza flavoured range serve different ingredient preferences.
Perrier describes its carbonated mineral water as sugar-free and calorie-free.
Tesco’s own-label plain sparkling mineral water provides a large-bottle route for household shopping.
The retailer lists both plain sparkling natural mineral water and flavoured sparkling water.
These packs are plain sparkling spring or mineral waters in different bottle sizes and total volumes. Choose between them according to how much you need at home and whether smaller bottles are useful away from home.
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For a household wanting a larger supply in individual bottles. Four packs of eight 500 ml bottles provide 16 litres in total; the listed ingredient is naturally sourced water. Check the current nutrition panel if a stated sugars-per-100 ml figure matters to your choice.
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For keeping plain sparkling water at home in 1-litre bottles. The pack contains 6 litres; the listed ingredient is natural sparkling mineral water, with no flavourings or sweeteners named. Check the current nutrition panel if you need a stated sugars-per-100 ml figure.
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For a household choosing plain sparkling mineral water in larger bottles. This six-bottle pack contains 6 litres; its listed ingredients are natural mineral water and carbon dioxide, and its nutrition information states 0 g sugars per 100 ml.
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For plain sparkling water in smaller individual bottles. Six 500 ml bottles provide 3 litres in total; the listed ingredients are natural mineral water and carbon dioxide, with 0 g sugars per 100 ml on the nutrition information.
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For a plain sparkling-water pack with individual bottles. Eight 500 ml bottles provide 4 litres in total; the product details identify carbonated natural mineral water and state 0 g sugars per 100 ml.
For adults who want that swap, plain sparkling water is an option: the NHS suggests sparkling water for people who do not like still water and advises swapping sugary drinks for diet, sugar-free or no-added-sugar drinks. Check the ingredients and nutrition panel of the particular drink, especially if it is flavoured.
No. M&S Summer Berries Sparkling Water lists steviol glycosides despite listing less than 0.1 g sugars per 100 g. If avoiding sweeteners matters to you, read the ingredients and look for “with sweetener(s)” wording on the label.
Choose a flavoured variant whose own ingredients and nutrition information meet both conditions. Sanpellegrino describes S.Pellegrino Essenza as having no sugars or sweeteners; its Dark Morello Cherry & Pomegranate variant lists 0.0 g sugars per 100 ml.
No. NHS guidance says fizzy drinks are acidic and should not be given to babies and young children, and it does not recommend diet or reduced-sugar drinks for them. For young children, the NHS recommends water and milk instead.
Follow the instructions on the particular bottle. For example, the Joybuy Highland Spring 8x500 ml listing says to refrigerate after opening and consume within 7 days, while M&S gives 3 days after opening for its Collection Sparkling Natural Mineral Water.