What do you have on tap?

[Aslanna]

It's aqua, but is it fina? Pepsi's bottled water same as tap

By VINNEE TONG
The Associated Press

NEW YORK — So you thought that water in your Aquafina bottle came from some far-away spring bubbling deep in a glen?

Try the same place as the water in your tap.

PepsiCo is the latest company to offer some clarity about the source of its top-selling bottled water as it announced on Friday it would change the label on Aquafina water bottles to spell out that the drink comes from the same source as tap water.

A group called Corporate Accountability International has been pressuring bottled-water sellers to curb what it calls misleading marketing practices. The group has criticized PepsiCo over its blue Aquafina label with a mountain logo as perpetuating the misconception that the water comes from spring sources.

Aquafina is the single biggest bottled water brand, and its bottles are currently labeled "P.W.S." The new labels will spell out "public water source."

"If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it's a reasonable thing to do," PepsiCo spokeswoman Michelle Naughton said Friday. Aquafina water is taken from public sources then purified in a seven-step process.

The corporate-accountability group is also pressing for similar concessions from The Coca-Cola, which owns the Dasani water brand, and Nestlé Waters North America, seller of Nestlé Pure Life purified drinking water, which gets some of its water from municipal sources.

Dasani's Web site says its water comes from local water supplies, is filtered using reverse osmosis and is enhanced with minerals.

"We don't believe that consumers are confused about the source of Dasani water," said Coca-Cola spokeswoman Diana Garza Ciarlante. "The label clearly states that it is purified water."

Bottled water has been a growing source of revenue for companies such as PepsiCo, based in Purchase, N.Y., and Atlanta-based Coca-Cola while they lessen their dependence on sales of carbonated sodas due to weakened demand.

Nestlé said Friday it has been printing new labels for its Pure Life water that say whether the water comes from municipal supplies or ground water.

Wholesale sales of bottled water grew to $11 billion in 2006, according to Beverage Marketing, and the industry is expected to maintain growth rates of about 10 percent. The fastest-growing segment of the industry is sales of bottles of less than 1.5 liters, which includes the individual serving sizes sold in many convenience and grocery stores.

The decisions by Nestlé and PepsiCo come as criticism grows over environmental concerns about the industry's use of local water sources and energy to package and ship the bottles.

I like how the tried to be sneaky and use P.W.S. Seriously how many consumers would know what that stands for? But to be fair nowhere on the bottle did it say it was from natural springs.

[Keverian FireCry]

Lots of bottled water has, for years, said on their label that it comes from a "municipal water source"...aka tap water.

The even more fucked up thing is that public water systems are protected by the EPA, while bottled water is protected by the FDA. Guess who has far higher standards? The EPA.

Penn & Teller's Bullshit on Showtime has a GREAT episode on bottled water from their first season.

As far as Dasani is concerned...think about it...it's the same fucking water they use to make Coke, yet without any of the ingredients. I'm not sure if high fructose corn syrup is cheaper than water(thx subsidies) or if bottled water is just marked up because of stupid fucking yuppies, but WATER is more expensive than COCA COLA. To me this makes PERFECT since...in Bizarro world...which we clearly live in.

edit: mixed up Aquafina and Dasani. anyhow both are owned by huge food corps.

[Markulas]

Spring water is actually the worst quality water because it has not had time to go through natural filtration.

75% of bottled waters are not recycled.

The materials made from recycled plastic bottles are almost worthless.

[Xatrei]

I used to buy a lot of water for the convenience factor (I tend to drink 4 or more liters a day). With the exception of the occasional San Pellegrino when I wanted something fizzy, I generally bought whatever the cheapest 1 liter bottle in the cooler happened to be. I always passed on Aquafina, though, as the local Aquafina has a chemical taste that I don't care for. About 3 years ago, I bought a couple of decent refillable liter bottles, and have been using them almost exclusively since then for when I need water on the go. Now I'll occasionally grab a bottle at a store when I'm out, but virtually all of the water I drink is straight from the tap. I don't have an issue with buying a sparkling mineral water now & then, but paying a few bucks for a liter of "normal" water is just insane. I don't know about other people, but I've always known that Dasani (Coke), Auqafina (Pepsi) and many others were just tap water filled at the bottling facility, and I just assumed that it was common knowledge. The need for announcing it now surprised me.

BTW - the Penn & Teller Bullshit! episode on bottled water was a riot.

[Keverian FireCry]

Also I thought it was interesting that Evian, another bottled tap water giant is "Naive" spelled backwards. Is that just coincidence or are basking in the idiocy of our consumer culture?

[Zamtuk]

but its french

[Aslanna]

I'm pretty sure evian isn't "bottled tap water." At least according to their site which claims "natural spring water."

From Wikipedia:

Evian is a brand of mineral water from several sources near Lake Geneva. Evian takes over 15 years to filter through mineral rich glacial sands in the French Alps. Bottled at the source, Evian comes from the Cachat Spring located on the Southern shore of Lake Geneva, in the town of Evian-les-Bains.

Evian has also been the center of an online urban legend. The urban legend states that Evian water is nothing more than tap water. It also states that the owners of the bottling company chose the name Evian, as Evian spells Naive backwards.

[Ashur]

I don't buy bottled water.

[Winnow]

The only good thing about being handed a bottled water is the bottle can be refilled with tap water multiple times.

There's a secondary "filtered" water tap at work on the sink. That's where I get my water. If that wasn't there, I'd be getting it from the tap. I drink tap water at home and I feel great! Yeah! Tap water everywhere! ('cept Mexico!)

[Hesten]

Walking 2 meters to my water tab, holding a bottle under it, walking 1 meter to the fridge and put it in to cool = more convenient than shopping every 1 or 2 days and dragging home god knows how many liters of water.

[Boogahz]

The only reason I may buy bottled water is to replace one of the bottles that I refill and keep in the fridge

[Trek]

I buy bottled water, the little pint size ones and throw 4-5 of them in my lunch box. Being in construction I move around a lot and lose track of my bigger refilable bottles so I made the switch. I can say that the date code on bottled water is important since the recycled plastics give off chemicals like Phthalates and bisphenol A that can disrupt your endocrine system. Some bottles are worse then others for recycled bottles look for the following by the recycled symbol:

PP5: Polypropylene plastic can easily be molded so it is made with fewer chemicals than other types of bottles. It is the overall safest and works well for refillable sports bottles.

HDPE 2: High density polyethylene has not been linked to leaching. It is often the type of plastic used for gallon jugs of water and other beverages.

PET (or PETE) 1: Polyethylene terephthalate is the manufacturers' most popular choice for single serve water. It is economic and deemed safe for one-time use. However, refilling these bottles may increase the chance that the chemicals will leach out.

The bottles I get are usually PETE, so 1 and done for me....no refils

[Kaldaur]

Winnow, I caught the reference to Nutra Grain. Gotta love that video.
"Babies everywhere!"

[Winnow]

I buy bottled water, the little pint size ones and throw 4-5 of them in my lunch box. Being in construction I move around a lot and lose track of my bigger refilable bottles so I made the switch. I can say that the date code on bottled water is important since the recycled plastics give off chemicals like Phthalates and bisphenol A that can disrupt your endocrine system. Some bottles are worse then others for recycled bottles look for the following by the recycled symbol:

PP5: Polypropylene plastic can easily be molded so it is made with fewer chemicals than other types of bottles. It is the overall safest and works well for refillable sports bottles.

HDPE 2: High density polyethylene has not been linked to leaching. It is often the type of plastic used for gallon jugs of water and other beverages.

PET (or PETE) 1: Polyethylene terephthalate is the manufacturers' most popular choice for single serve water. It is economic and deemed safe for one-time use. However, refilling these bottles may increase the chance that the chemicals will leach out.

The bottles I get are usually PETE, so 1 and done for me....no refils

Good info Trek. I'm going to have to change my bottle refilling habits...just looked on my bottle and it's a PETE!

Where can I find a nice cheap PP5 bottles? (because I'll still be throwing them away every so often)

[Aslanna]

According to Snopes that falls under the False category.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

I found this quote in the linked John Hopkins article interesting:

people should be more concerned about the quality of the water they are drinking rather than the container it’s coming from. Many people do not feel comfortable drinking tap water, so they buy bottled water instead. The truth is that city water is much more highly regulated and monitored for quality. Bottled water is not. It can legally contain many things we would not tolerate in municipal drinking water

OMG what if it's bottled tap water? That could cause a rift in the space-time continuum!

[Trek]

Where can I find a nice cheap PP5 bottles? (because I'll still be throwing them away every so often)

I am pretty sure those are the 'hard plastic' refilable sport bottles and such....the ones that come with shoulder straps and what not for hiking/binking ect. I am pretty sure they are only sold empty....tho I could be wrong.


As far as municiple water vs bottled water....sure I side with municiple water, not just because that supports my field of work (plumber/pipefitter) but because it is more regulated. The plastics will effect you, some containers will give you more toxins then others and it does effect your body. Who knows to what real effect.....

[Aslanna]

The plastics will effect you, some containers will give you more toxins then others and it does effect your body. Who knows to what real effect.....

That statement is a bit contradictory. "The plastics will effect you.. it does effect your body.. but who knows to what real effect." I guess what I am looking is for something actually based in scientific research that concludes with stating the dangers of reusing plastic containers for the purpose of water consumption.

[Trek]

The plastics will effect you, some containers will give you more toxins then others and it does effect your body. Who knows to what real effect.....

That statement is a bit contradictory. "The plastics will effect you.. it does effect your body.. but who knows to what real effect." I guess what I am looking is for something actually based in scientific research that concludes with stating the dangers of reusing plastic containers for the purpose of water consumption.

I dont do scientific research, so I personally cant help you. I can tell you that even as a kid I learned to wash my model parts before paiting so the paint would stick to the plastic. Plastics degrade, I really dont know how harmful it can be, I posted what I know about it. Some plastics are 'safer' then others. Even if you dont think the plastic toxins are harmful in any way, you might want to look into what micro-organisms might be growing inside that re-used bottle if used to long.

[Aslanna]

I dont do scientific research, so I personally cant help you. I can tell you that even as a kid I learned to wash my model parts before paiting so the paint would stick to the plastic. Plastics degrade, I really dont know how harmful it can be, I posted what I know about it. Some plastics are 'safer' then others. Even if you dont think the plastic toxins are harmful in any way, you might want to look into what micro-organisms might be growing inside that re-used bottle if used to long.

So to me it sounds like a misconception based on no factual evidence.

And the reason you wash model parts before painting, and I had to look this up, is because of the manufacturing process:

The parts are made by injection molding, and are covered with a material to help release them from the mold. This release agent will also prevent paint from sticking to the model. Wash the parts in soap and water, then air dry. Use a hair dryer if you'd like to speed up the process.

In the case of plastic model kits, it's best to wash the plastic with soap and water before undercoating the miniature with spray primer. Plastic sprues are coated with a mold-release agent during the production process. This agent causes a chemical reaction when the primer is introduced, which pits, scars, or even "fuzzes" the plastic figures. In summary: you will cry great buckets of tears when you find that all your hundreds of plastic Imperial Guardsmen that you painstakingly trimmed, assembled, and converted are completely fuzzy and devoid of detail because you didn't clean them first. That is, unless you're into that sort of thing.

So I see what you're selling but I'm not ready to buy at this time. However I do agree with the bacterial aspect. But that's a totally different topic then what is being discussed.

[Trek]

So to me it sounds like a misconception based on no factual evidence.

As far as I know this is fact:

PP5: Polypropylene plastic can easily be molded so it is made with fewer chemicals than other types of bottles. It is the overall safest and works well for refillable sports bottles.

HDPE 2: High density polyethylene has not been linked to leaching. It is often the type of plastic used for gallon jugs of water and other beverages.

PET (or PETE) 1: Polyethylene terephthalate is the manufacturers' most popular choice for single serve water. It is economic and deemed safe for one-time use. However, refilling these bottles may increase the chance that the chemicals will leach out.

You can choose to believe what you wish or wait for some newsgroup you like to say something is potentially harmful. I personally believe plastics to be harmful on some level. As I stated before I take that as far as checking the dates on the water I buy and not re-using a cheap bottle, thats about it.

[Boogahz]

I know that I regularly trust "scientific" evidence on message boards...especially when the supporting facts are the same quote already used by the same person! The bacteria concerns you mentioned are not related to the type of plastic, but the constant use (if not washed).

[Trek]

I am scientific fact and a trusted news source, just ask me

[rhyae]

In Florida I bought cheap bottled water because tap water in Tampa smells so nasty you can't stomach it. I would buy those big store brand 5 gallon jugs and keep them in the fridge. Besides, as often as the hurricanes went through during that 5 years I needed to keep lots of water on hand.
Back in B'ham now I can drink the tap water.

_{From some stuff Raistin tells me about the water plants in Fla I'm a leetle beet scurred of public water...}

[Dregor Thule]

Most bottled waters always taste a little strange IMO. Give me tap water and my Britta jug please. Course ours doesn't smell

[Knarlz]

Don't want tap water!???.
Try one of these bottled waters. only $27 to $82 per bottle.

http://www.finewaterimports.com/

[miir]

Also I thought it was interesting that Evian, another bottled tap water giant is "Naive" spelled backwards. Is that just coincidence or are basking in the idiocy of our consumer culture?

It is just a coincidence.
The original spring (Cachat Source) is located in the town of Evian-les-Bains.
Evian is not tap water.
Evian has been bottled from the same source for over 180 years.

[Deward]

I drink bottled water any time I leave town. I love my local tap water. But if I visit my dad in Rockford, IL that water is complete shit and makes me sick. My dad has been buying bottled water for a decade there. Some municipalities are better than others. I got E. Coli or some kind of sickness in Milwaukee one year. That really sucked. Now I only drink bottled water on trips.

I always look at the bottles too. I will buy tap water if I have to but given a choice I will buy the mineral or spring water. I like the taste.

[Winnow]

I drink bottled water any time I leave town. I love my local tap water. But if I visit my dad in Rockford, IL that water is complete shit and makes me sick. My dad has been buying bottled water for a decade there. Some municipalities are better than others. I got E. Coli or some kind of sickness in Milwaukee one year. That really sucked. Now I only drink bottled water on trips.

I always look at the bottles too. I will buy tap water if I have to but given a choice I will buy the mineral or spring water. I like the taste.

I won't drink tap water traveling either. I've seen the reports on the water for my city and am familiar with it but don't have time to study or research local tap water conditions for everywhere I go.

Best tap water I ever had was in the Swiss Alps and in Germany on ski trips. People in the US pay big bucks for that tap water.

[Boogahz]

Best tap water I ever had was in the Swiss Alps and in Germany on ski trips. People in the US pay big bucks for that tap water.

Maybe something had changed by the time I went to Germany, but you didn't go near blumenwasser with any drinking glass unless you were just going to water a plant or boil it.

[Winnow]

Best tap water I ever had was in the Swiss Alps and in Germany on ski trips. People in the US pay big bucks for that tap water.

Maybe something had changed by the time I went to Germany, but you didn't go near blumenwasser with any drinking glass unless you were just going to water a plant or boil it.

Not the general drinking water in the big cities. I'm talking mini ski villages way up in the Alps. Glacier water!

[Siji]

Distilled water ftw!