Bottled Water Doesn't Always Taste Better

Bottled Water Doesn't Always Taste Better

In blind taste tests, consumers often cannot tell the difference between bottled and tap water, or between expensive bottled water and cheaper brands.

Different waters have different tastes, depending on the natural minerals found in them. But blind taste test after blind taste test has shown that bottled water is not consistently preferred over tap water.

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Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-204_162-10005070-6.html#ixzz1K1cRnnmB

Drowning in #Bottled water

from an article at CBS news

Americans buy, consume, and throw away the equivalent of nearly 100 billion 12-ounce plastic bottles of water every year, according to Dr. Gleick's calculations. That translates into roughly 300 bottles for every man, woman, and child. Laid end to end, these bottles would circle the earth more than 600 times - or reach from the earth to the moon and back 30 times.

What Does the Government Really Test?

What Does the Government Really Test?

Think purity standards for bottled water are more stringent than those for tap water? Not so, says Dr. Gleick. Unlike tap water, which is regulated by the EPA, bottled water is regulated by the FDA - and, in addition to allowing for less frequent quality testing, the FDA doesn't monitor some contaminants that may be in bottled water. What's more, the FDA doesn't insist that bottlers provide water quality reports to consumers.

 "Our standards for protecting both tap water and bottled water ought to be stricter," says Dr. Gleick. "But tap water is better regulated."