Bottled Water Reporter Dec09/Jan10 - 1

Bottled Water is… A HEALTHY BEVERAGE CHOICE. The U.S. government, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies, medical experts and state ofﬁcials, have made the ﬁght against obesity one of the top public-health priorities. Bottled water, because of its consistent safety, quality and taste, is an important and healthy consumer alternative to other beverages in helping combat the obesity epidemic. Bottled water provides healthy choices that are safe, convenient and meet our desire for good tasting water at home and on-the-go. A STRICTLY-REGULATED FOOD PRODUCT. Bottled water is a packaged food product regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which requires bottled water to comply with bottled water-speciﬁc standards, as well as regulations required of all food products. Each type of bottled water –examples include spring, puriﬁed, mineral, sparkling bottled water, artesian or distilled – carries with it speciﬁc FDA deﬁnitions and standards. Many times, bottled water is subject to further state standards and other requirements set by the International Bottled Water Association, the leading bottled water trade group. Some bottlers use municipal water as a source, but it is not just tap water in a bottle. As part of the bottling process, these bottled waters are additionally puriﬁed and produced in accordance with FDA standards. In addition, FDA standards apply to both domestic and imported brands, no matter where they are produced and sold. PACKAGED IN SAFE CONTAINERS. Bottled water is one of thousands of beverage and food products sealed in safe, sanitary containers, which may be made from plastic or glass. Plastics (and all other materials) used for contact with foods or beverages must be allowed by FDA to help assure their safety. The materials used in all bottled water containers are shown to be safe through extensive and rigorous testing. AN EFFICIENT USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES. While nearly all industries use natural resources to manufacture their products, the bottled water industry is particularly efﬁcient and making signiﬁcant progress to further reduce the environmental impact. The amount of water used for bottled water production accounts for less than 2/100 of a percent (0.02%) of the total ground water withdrawn in the United States each year, according to the Drinking Water Research Foundation. In addition, plastic beverage bottles account for less than one-third of 1 percent of the waste stream in the U.S. in 2005, according to the National Association of PET Container Resources (NAPCOR). Plastic beverage bottles are among the most recycled products in the U.S., and the bottled water industry is working with other beverage and food producers, municipalities, and recycling advocacy groups to continually increase recycling and reduce the resources needed by using increasingly lighter-weight plastics for containers. Further, the bottled water industry is considered one of the original recyclers as the larger containers used on bottled water coolers may be used repeatedly and recycled at the end of their useful service. IMPORTANT IN TIMES OF WATER EMERGENCIES OR DISASTERS. Bottled water companies respond with efﬁciency and speed with regard to provide bottled water in coordination with emergency relief operations. The bottled water industry provides millions of bottled water servings in response to natural and man-made disasters each year. A LOCAL OPTION. More than 60 percent of the International Bottled Water Association’s membership is made up of small businesses with annual sales of less than $1 million and a few employees. The overwhelming majority have sales of less than $10 million. Your local bottler is most likely a family entrepreneur with deep roots and strong ties in your community. For more information about IBWA and bottled water, please visit www.bottledwater.org or www.bottledwatermatters.com. Provided by the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA)

Bottled Water Reporter Dec09/Jan10

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bottled Water Reporter Dec09/Jan10