In Defense of Water as a Natural Product

by Michael Mascha

Much bottled water is really bottled municipal tap water—in the United States, government and industry estimate that municipal water makes up to 40% of the bottled water sold. It makes no sense to buy this processed water in a store and carry it home as you would be much better off buying a water filter, if you are not happy with the way your tap water tastes. Not to mention that we would reduce the amount of PET bottled by more the 40%.

Most consumer confuse 2 distinct different products that happen to be sold in a bottle:

Commodity Bottled Water
The salient characteristic of this type is that it is bottled, providing a convenient package for on-the-go hydration. Water fountains or sinks would work just as well to quench your thirst, but water companies’ self-serving marketing campaigns may have persuaded you that water is healthier when it comes from a bottle.
This attitude turns bottled water into a commodity, regardless of where the water comes from. Convenience is the key; the water itself is nothing special. The large, powerful companies behind these waters ensure that their products are the ones found in everyday supermarkets, unfortunately.

Water like this is the reason journalists sometimes condemn bottled water as a big scam, and I can understand their thinking. I would be angry, too, if I bought water in the supermarket only to discover that it was in fact purified tap water. But I’m not angry, because I know better: I buy naturally bottled water.

Naturally Bottled Water
These very special waters express terroir. Bottled at the source, they may be naturally carbonated and are treated only minimally (if at all). Contact with geological formations imparts a unique mineral composition to each water; many of these compositions are reputed to have healthful properties. Some waters may have been formed only thirty days before bottling, whereas others are more than twenty thousand years old.

Many companies and individuals care deeply about the water they sell and its source. I talk to them every day, and they could certainly talk about their product all day they are proud of delivering natural bottled water and obsessed with protecting its source. Some of these companies are new, but sometimes the waters have been used since Roman times, more than two thousand years ago.


We hopefully pay attention to were our food and wine is coming from and we just realize how bad processed foods are for our health (See Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food).

I think we should apply the same attention to water by moving away from processed water and enjoy water as the natural product it is, regardless if it comes from the tap or a bottle.

We at FineWaters whish you a happy and prosperous 2009!

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites