Mineral water at Stiftung Warentest: Good water does not have to be expensive

Especially on hot days, we should drink a lot – preferably water. Stiftung Warentest tested 32 classic mineral glasses of water and concluded that most mineral waters are recommended. The own brands scored particularly well.

From Gerolsteiner to San Pellegrino: Stiftung Warentest had mineral water tested again this year. This time in the test: 32 classic mineral water. Most of the sparkling waters were convincing: 25 products received the overall grade “good” or “very good”. There were only a few points of criticism from the product testers.

Mineral water test: Stiftung Warentest finds few impurities

Stiftung Warentest explains: Mineral water may only come from originally pure sources and must be bottled directly at the source. The water was therefore examined for traces of 125 foreign substances in the test.

The laboratory found what they were looking for in some waters: there were traces of pesticide degradation products or sweeteners in the thirst quenchers. According to testers, these residues are not harmful to health, but they question the purity of the mineral water.

Stiftung Warentest detected aboveground contamination in the following water bottles, among others: Markgrafen Classic, Alasia Spritzig, Emsland Quelle Classic and Netto Mecklenburger Quelle Classic.

The good news: None of the mineral water tested exceeded the legal limits for critical substances such as nitrate, arsenic, or uranium. This was not always the case in previous mineral water tests by Stiftung Warentest and Öko-Test.

Microplastics can also be a problem in bottled water, migrating from the bottle or cap into the water. However, Stiftung Warentest has not checked this because, according to the product testers, there is still no standardized examination method for microplastics in mineral water.

Does mineral water automatically mean a lot of minerals?

From a legal point of view, mineral water does not have to be rich in minerals, and there is no statutory minimum mineral content. But many people use mineral water to replenish their mineral balance. Does this work with the classic waters in the test?

Only six products can score with a high mineral content of over 1,500 milligrams per liter. In contrast, almost half of the water has only 500 milligrams of minerals per liter. Many minerals can be found in the mineral waters Gerolsteiner Sprudel, Residenz Quelle Spritzig and Gaensefurther Schloss Quelle Classic .

These are the test winners in the mineral water test

Stiftung Warentest awarded the test result “very good” eight times, including many inexpensive own brands of supermarkets and discounters:

• Aquintus Classic
• Lidl Saskia Classic
• Penny Classic
• Yes! Classic
• Aldi Nord Quellbrunn Classic
• Aldi Süd Quellbrunn Classic
• Norma Surf Classic
• Vilsa Naturfrisch Classic

The well-known brands of water San Pellegrino, San Benedetto, and Gerolsteiner scored “good” overall.

All test results can be found online at test.de.

Buy mineral water? Tap water is the better choice

Even if many mineral glasses of water were convincing in the test, strictly speaking, nobody has to carry expensive water bottles. Utopia advises: Drink tap water instead. This comes straight from the tap at home and is as good as free. On top of that, you save on plastic and packaging, because many test winners are filled in PET bottles.

You can drink tap water almost everywhere in Germany without hesitation  – according to the Federal Environment Agency it is also the ” most environmentally friendly drink “. And if you don’t want to do without the fizz in the water, just add it yourself. In water bubbler tests you can read which models are recommended.