Today we learn from a new report from Environmental Working Group (EWG) "Bottled water companies try hard to hide information you might find troubling," says Jane Houlihan, senior vice president of research for the Washington D.C.-based research and advocacy group.
EWG analyzed the labels of 173 unique bottled water products and company websites to determine if companies disclose information on where water comes from, how or if their water is treated, and whether the results of purity testing are revealed. The nonprofit also looked at how effective (and advanced) any water treatment methods are. Researchers followed up by calling dozens of bottled water companies to find out which ones willingly tell consumers what's in their bottles.
Despite consumer laws designed to protect us by governing the manufacture and processing of everything we eat or drink, these companies take short cuts, put a favorable spin on unfavorable truths and outright cover up whatever they consider harmful to their sales. It is easy to see where their main interest lies.
Our tap water is stringently tested and the results can be found online. Unfortunately, the same thing cannot be said for bottled water, which is not required to disclose that information to consumers. Why this is the case remains to be unanswered.
More than half of the bottled water products surveyed failed EWG's transparency test --18% didn't say where their water comes from, and another 32% did not disclose any information on treatment or purity of water. These results are dismal at best. For a company to sell a product, that we ingest, without disclosing the ingredients and its sources is unconscionable. Further, to be allowed to do so is nothing short of criminal negligence.
This situation continues because we consumers continue to purchase products of this nature. We need to all, each and every one of us, stop putting so much faith in the products we buy. The battle against unscrupulous manufacturers is tough enough, but when the very people we are fighting for show manufacturers they will purchase whatever is put in front of them, it becomes even more of an uphill battle.
Only three brands earned the highest possible marks for disclosing information and using the most advanced treatment methods available –
- Gerber Pure Purified Water,
- Nestle Pure Life Purified Water,
- Penta Ultra-Purified Water.
These six brands got the worst marks in EWG's report because they don't provide consumers with the three basic facts about water on product labels or their company website –
- Whole Foods Italian Still Mineral Water,
- Vintage Natural Spring Water,
- Sahara Premium Drinking Water,
- O Water Sport Electrolyte Enhanced Purified Drinking Water,
- Market Basket Natural Spring Water,
- Cumby's Spring Water.
We have to ask ourselves, if these companies won’t disclose where their water comes from, how or if it is treated, or whether the results of purity testing are revealed, then we need to err on the side of caution and assume it is nothing more than tap water. And if it is tap water, why are you paying for it?
Related facts:
Bottled water can cost up to 1,900 times more than what flows from your tap
Drinking tap water also takes less of a toll on the planet
The most advanced treatment technologies are reverse osmosis and micro-filtration
Tags: drinking water
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