“The fastest growing beverage in the modern world. This miracle drink has 0 calories, 0 sodium, 0 fat, and 0 carbohydrates.” ~ CBS
Last week, I called a few bottled water companies, looking to secure a sponsor for a client. In the research process, I learned a lot about bottled water.
For example, did you know that bottle water is not neccessarily better than tap water? Imagine my surprise to learn that some bottled water is just tap water, bottled? Some bottled water (over 20% of all brands) actually contains “chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits.” Holy hydrogen, Batman.
Here’s the trick: You’re not necessarily getting what you pay for. Even though it may cost more than a soda, almost all water hydrates you equally well as others. So the only things to evaluate, then, are your preference for the source, the taste and whether or not they’ve filtered out all the bad stuff.
It became clear, very quickly, that the Aquafina’s and Dasani’s of the world are not exactly a big step up from the kitchen sink. The other three market leaders are Poland Spring, Evian and Perrier. Also interesting is the fact that Nestle, Dannon and other parent companies own a majority of the market, each with 3-8 brands.
Here are some web sources to educate yourself further: If you want learn about the actual content of bottled water and its source, I’d recommend checking out The Bottled Water Web which appears to be the association that oversees the industry. This is how I determined the best water for my client.
Perhaps you want to check out the objective view of the government. The Natural Resources Defense Council has a site that addresses some of the myths of bottled and tap water and what you might consider.
Which one did we go with? The one with fact-backing studies and the best health-conscious mission was Penta. The next closest brand was Evian.
“Water is the only drink for a wise man.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
“Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water.” ~ W.C. Fields
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