The bottled water industry is all wet when it comes to providing information to customers about the source and purity of its products, a Washington, D.C., advocacy group says in a new survey of 173 bottled water brands.
The Environmental Working Group previously surveyed bottled water labels in 2009, finding that only two of 188 brands described the source, treatment and purity of their water. Even though the government has pressured the industry to be more transparent, things haven’t improved much since then, according to the EWG. This time around, only three of the 173 brands provided the three basic facts: Gerber Pure Purified Water, Nestle Pure Life Purified Water and Penta Ultra Purified Water
The survey identified six brands, including Whole Foods’ Italian Still Mineral Water, as the worst offenders, saying they provide consumers “with none of the three basic facts about their water, either on labels or on company websites.” Among the 10 best-selling brands, nine — Pepsi’s Aquafina, Coca-Cola’s Dasani, Crystal Geyser and six of seven Nestlé brands — fail to list at least one of the basic facts.
According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, the average American consumed 20.1 gallons of bottled water in 2002. By 2007 that figure had risen to 29.3 gallons, up nearly 46 percent. “Many brands fill their labels with vague claims of a pristine source or perfect purity — but no real facts,” EWG, which favors filtered tap water, says. “If people are willing to pay up 1,900 times the cost of tap water in order to buy water in a plastic bottle, they deserve better than that.”
But a health advocacy group at the libertarian end of the political spectrum says it is EWG that’s all wet. “EWG is again trying to scare consumers about non-threats. It is not relevant where bottled water is from. And American tap water is perfectly safe,” Dr. Gilbert Ross, executive director of the American Council on Science and Health, said on the group’s website.
In December 2010, Hawaiian Springs finalized its annual water quality report, and we are pleased to say that it meets or exceeds every standard for purity and quality. The water quality report is now available in both English and Spanish on our website at http://www.hawaiianspring.com under the Nature’s Gift section. It includes our source, methodology, and analysis, and can be viewed here:
http://www.hawaiianspring.com/pdf/Water_Quality_Report_English.pdf
http://hawaiianspring.com/pdf/Water_Quality_Report_Spanish.pdf
Every year, we conduct a water testing process on our source and product, which is provided to the state of California at the time of renewal of our permit. In fact, as stated in our water quality report, our protected source is monitored many times a day to ensure the artesian water is safe and of extremely high quality.
Since October 2010, we have been redesigning our label to include our source and contact information so consumers can obtain specific details about our water and also to comply with the state of California’s labeling laws and regulations. Our new label has been designed, is currently being printed, and will be in the market shortly.
We want everyone to know that Hawaiian Springs Natural Artesian Water already meets or exceeds quality expectations and tough standards set by federal, state and international agencies. We are happy to answer any questions and provide any information requested by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), other organizations, and the public. Please contact Margaret Fuentes at email hidden; JavaScript is required.
We love to talk about the quality of our water.