Water, Water Everywhere…
The Environmental Working Group’s report on bottled water is worth a read… it’s quite an eye-opener. In 2008, they created a database representing 137 different commercial brands, and then analyzed both the labels and website information. The results were pretty revealing… and disappointing.
Only 2 of 188 bottled waters surveyed make public 3 basic facts about their products routinely disclosed by municipal water utilities:
- The water’s source;
- Purification methods;
- Chemical pollutants remaining after treatment.
The reason: bottled water companies enjoy a regulatory holiday under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which grants them complete latitude to decide what, if any, information about their water is divulged to customers.
Bottled water is undeniably convenient, but much of its popularity rests on soft-focus imagery, vague, comforting buzzwords like “natural”, “crisp”, “pure”, etc., and some damn clever advertising:
Cute… but are people paying for perception – or reality? Considering the greater expense involved (both to the consumer and to the environment), consumers certainly have a right to know what they’re getting for their $$$… and whether it actually meets – much less exceeds – the standards set for plain ol’ municipal drinking water.
July 26, 2009
I agree, there should be some sort of standard or guideline on bottled water to know if you are getting what you want.
Although anytime standards are set, prices increase. I guess it would be worth it.