Now that I've returned to Canada, I can drink water out of the tap. Why? Because, as in many developed countries, tap water must adhere to strict safety standards ...which is why bottled water companies put tap water into bottles and re-sell it (just like they do in Thailand ).
However, bottled water doesn't have to meet the same standards as tap water.
Confused?
Meanwhile, fitness morons walk around with expensive bottled water, everywhere they go.
Hydration nation: Our national obsession with bottled water
San Antonio Express-News
Water used to be a cheap and efficient way to quench your thirst. It was boring, but it got the job done.
Then, in the early 1990s, French interlopers Evian and Perrier hit pay dirt with their upscale bottled beverages that helped transform water from prosaic hydrator to lifestyle beverage.
Today Americans aren’t just drinking bottled water. We’re practically soggy with it.
Americans are the leading consumers of bottled water in the world, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp. Bottled water is also the fastest-growing segment of the beverage industry.
Our 2006 per capita consumption of bottled water was 27.6 gallons per person, up from 16.7 gallons per person in 2000 and a parched 1.6 gallons per person in 1976, according to the International Bottled Water Association.
And, it seems, plain old water isn’t good enough anymore. You can now get your water “enhanced” with fruit juice, vitamins, herbs, caffeine and electrolytes.
It doesn’t just prevent you from getting cotton mouth, either. It “keeps you fit,” “revives your soul” and gives you “all the focus you need,” as the marketing slogans go.
There’s even “Skinny Water” and “Smart Water,” which may lead you to ask yourself why you’ve been drinking fat, stupid water all these years.
Speaking of stupid, that’s how some felt after PepsiCo announced last week that it would change the label on Aquafina to clearly spell out the water’s source: Public Water Source.
That’s tap water, folks.
Then there’s the new Aquapod, an Ozarka water product bottled in cute, squatty, kid-friendly bottles. The label touts that the spring water contains fluoride.
So does tap water.
What’s driving us to drink? Part of it is the perception that bottled water is safer and cleaner than tap water, even though this isn’t necessarily true.
Public water supplies in this country are overwhelmingly safe, thanks to strict EPA regulation and standards — standards that are tougher than the FDA’s that govern bottled water.
According to a 1999 study by the National Resources Defense Council that analyzed 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water, the stuff in bottles wasn’t necessarily better than that from municipal water systems.
“Bottled water is largely a market based on anxiety,” says Gina Solomon, a senior scientist with the NRDC, whose report recommended the FDA institute more rigorous standards for bottled water.
“My concern with bottled water is not so much a safety concern (but) the fact that people may be thinking they’re getting something that they may not be.”
Of course, lawsuits have been filed against companies claiming they have duped consumers about the purity and source of their products.
For example, in 2003 a class-action suit was brought against Poland Spring (owned by Nestle) arguing that its bottled water didn’t come from a spring “deep in the woods of Maine” at all, but was groundwater piped from man-made wells near some parking lots.
When it comes to the source of water, you don’t have to go far to get an international taste, either. Grocery store shelves are a veritable United Nations of bottled water, with Wales, Germany, Spain, France and Norway sending their very best.
We don’t just drink water — we are made of it. It comprises almost 70 percent of our weight and is critical to vital functions, such as carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells, flushing away waste, lubricating and regulating body temperature.
www.kansascity.com | 08/07/2007 | Hydration nation: Our national obsession with bottled
water
Aquafina To Admit Being From A "Public Water Source" On Label
Aquafina labels will soon say "Public Water Source," a nod by bottler PepsiCo to the fact that its bottled water is the same water that goes into a Pepsi, just pre-carbonation.
As you recall, bottled water costs 1,000 times more than tap water. Places like New York have tap water just as good or better than bottled water. Add a home water filter, refrigeration, and the foresight to bring the water with you in, and bottled water starts to look pretty stupid.