Bottled water: Quenching consumer confusion

May 25, 2004

ATLANTA – Consumers have an insatiable thirst for bottled water, and it’s fueling tremendous growth in a highly competitive industry. According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, American consumers spent approximately $8 billion on bottled water in 2002. In the past decade alone, bottled water consumption has increased by 1,000 percent. Bottled water now is even more popular than beer and coffee, second only to soda as the nation’s most popular drink.

According to a consumer survey conducted by Yankelovich Partners for the International Bottled Water Association, Atlantans drink an average of 2.1 servings of bottled water per day. This is significantly less than other major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles or New York. However, the survey also found that Atlantans drink an average of 4.1 servings of tap water per day, which is substantially more than most major markets. Given the city’s hot climate and active lifestyle, bottled water producers are expecting major growth in the Atlanta market.

But does the average Atlantan really understand the differences between bottled water and tap water? Do they know the differences between the seemingly endless varieties of bottled waters available in the marketplace? Due in part to savvy marketing efforts by some companies and lack of awareness among consumers, there is a great deal of misinformation about bottled water.

“Most customers, and even some people in the industry, don’t understand the difference between spring water, purified water, artesian water and the other varieties of bottled water,” says Jamie Carroll, founder and president of Fontis Water, a Marietta-based bottler of natural spring water specializing in home and office delivery.

At least 25 percent of the bottled water on the market is nothing more than purified tap water. The images and wording on product packaging oftentimes mislead consumers into believing they’re getting something they’re not. Many waters feature picturesque mountains or other scenes from nature, which might lead consumers to believe they come from a natural spring when in fact they don’t.

“Consumers can know what they’re actually buying by understanding the classifications of bottled water and carefully reading labels,” says Carroll. “For example, ‘bottled at the source’ can mean the water comes straight from the tap, unless the source is specifically identified as a spring or other natural source. When people are paying a higher price for something, they should make sure they’re actually getting a premium product.”

There are many different types of bottled water available on the market today. They range from purified municipal tap water like Dasani and Aquafina to flavored or enhanced bottled waters with added vitamins or sweeteners.

Types of bottled water

Natural spring water

Natural spring water is bottled water sourced from an underground natural spring. It usually is filtered as an additional measure to assure its purity, but it must retain the same composition and physical properties as it naturally occurs in the spring to be labeled bottled spring water.

Purified water

Purified water is typically from a municipal source (the tap) and undergoes a purification process. Processes including reverse osmosis, distillation or deionization are used to remove impurities that may exist in the water. Purified waters account for approximately one-quarter of the bottled waters on the market. Some purified waters add minerals to the water during the process.

Artesian water

Artesian water is sourced from an underground aquifer by drilling a well. Clay or rock confines the water and causes pressure, allowing the water to come up from underground without using mechanical pumps.

Mineral water

Mineral water is bottled water that has at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids (TDS). This water has a constant level of naturally occurring minerals. No minerals may be added to the water after it is sourced from the ground.

Sparkling water

Sparkling water is water containing carbon dioxide (CO2), either naturally occurring or added during the bottling process.

Enhanced water

So-called enhanced water is bottled water with added flavoring, and may include added minerals, vitamins or other ingredients. It may have caloric content, and if flavors or sweeteners are added, it is actually considered a soft drink.

Is bottled water healthier for you than tap water?

Most consumers drink bottled water for the taste. Tap water often contains chlorine, minerals, residues from old pipes and other particulates and impurities. The turbidity and overall quality of water can vary greatly from one area (or even building) to the next, which can have a major impact on taste.

In addition to taste, many consumers drink bottled water because of both actual and perceived health benefits. While the Environment Protection Agency states that the majority of American cities have healthy municipal tap water, a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says many cities have poor or even unsafe tap water. For example, areas of Washington, D.C. have drinking water with high lead content, and many experts urge residents there to avoid drinking from the tap.

So how does Atlanta’s water measure up? The NRDC study found problems with the city’s maintenance of its distribution system. A recent study conducted by the American Society of Civil Engineers supports the NRDC’s findings, giving Atlanta’s drinking water infrastructure a “B-” letter grade. The NRDC also reports that Atlanta was among the cities found to have municipal water quality reports with “false, unqualified or misleading claims” or crucial information about problems buried deep within them.

According to the NRDC, Atlanta’s primary water source is also threatened by runoff and industrial or sewage contamination. The NRDC’s study found that Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. have experienced periodic spikes in contamination levels. All three cities have issued boil-water alerts to cope with the problem in recent years.

In a study commissioned by Men’s Health magazine, the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina, Rutgers University and the NRDC researched the water quality reports of 101 U.S. cities. The cities were given a letter grade based on their levels of arsenic, bacteria, lead, and the carcinogens triholmethanes and haloacetic acids. Atlanta received a “B” in the study.

“Bottled water doesn’t have anything in it that makes it healthier for you than tap water – it’s what it doesn’t have that counts,” says Carroll. “But for people in most areas, that’s not the real health benefit. The grab-and-go convenience of bottled water often leads people to drink more and achieve adequate hydration. Rather than grabbing a soda, people are more likely to drink water, which means they consume less sugar, fewer calories and are better hydrated.”

As the bottled water business continues to boom, it’s important the consumers driving the growth of the industry have a clear understanding of what it is they’re purchasing. By carefully reading product labels and learning more about the actual and perceived health benefits of bottled water, Atlantans can make educated decisions to quench their thirst as the mercury starts to rise this season.