by Michael Mascha
In a May 6th 20/20 news show, ABC's
John Stossel asked again the wrong and decade old question - Is Bottled Water
Better Than Tap?
He then makes the shocking discovery that "It costs about 5
bucks a gallon!" and asks himself "Why do people pay so much for something
they can get virtually free?"
It seems the confusion about Bottled
Water vs. Bottled Water continues in his poorly researched piece and the real
issue is never discussed. Both tap water and bottled water are perfectly
fine and safe if they meet or exceed state, federal and industry standards for
quality. In commodity Bottled Water - often of municipal source - the emphasis
is on the bottle. This is having the convenience of buying water in a bottle on
the go at the gas station or the airport. You are thirsty and want to drink some
water. You could use the water fountain but clever and sometimes deceptive
marketing and PR campaigns have convinced you that it is healthier to buy a
bottle of water. In fact between 25 - 40% of bottled water sold in the US is
actually bottled tap water according to government and industry
estimates.
And then there is Bottled Water. I have suggested in an earlier
article on the subject to use the term Naturally Bottled Water for the category
in order to distinguish itself from the commodity products. These waters are
very special and express terroir. They are bottled at the source, treated as
little as possible, and in some instances they are naturally carbonated. All
this waters have a unique composition of minerals, depending on their journey
through the earth. Some of the waters are 30 days old and some clock 20,000
years. Many have long been associated with curative powers due to a unique
composition of minerals and trace elements. These waters are truly special. The
emphasis is on the water and it's source and the bottle is just a means of
getting the water to you.
In a rebuttal of the ABC 20/20 program the
International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) also fails to make the
distinction between Bottled water and Naturally Bottled Water and diffused the
issue by only focusing on the commodity aspect of bottled water.
I hope we
will see some more balanced and better researched news items about bottled water
in the future. I think it is time to lay the tap water vs. bottled water issue
to rest even if it seems it's still making news.
Sources:
Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap?
ABC News 20/20 is wrong about Bottled Water
Unscientific water taste-test pits municipal against bottled
Could it be that there are two different kinds of bottled water?
|
The Water Connoisseur
