On top of a snowman tablecloth and covered with an assortment of pink ham, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, and green beans sat my Christmas lunch plate. Yes, lunch was when my boyfriend’s grandma had their family gathering – one which I was invited to for another year. With half of this delicious yet salty meal already in my stomach, there was only one thing missing for me. Water.
Upon my request, my boyfriend is on his way to grab a glass for me until his grandma calls out, “They’re in the bottom of the fridge door.” Oh no. That meant… yes.
Seconds later, I witnessed the packaged beverage I despise the most being placed in front of me – bottled water.
To me, the noteworthy idea I witnessed from such a simple situation is how completely natural the consumption of bottled water is to an average family. It has reached the point where a disposable bottle of water is no longer something we grab when we go out. It’s a product we casually consume at dinner tables and offer to guests, wasting $0.50 to $2.00 each time, which could have been saved simply by filling up a glass in the sink.
Why is this normal? – normal to the point where per capita consumption of bottled water has increased by over 130% in the past two decades?
The change in consumption trends can mainly be explained by widespread concerns about the health of sugar and artificial flavorings, local soda taxes, and derogatory tap water marketing.
Towards the late 2000’s consumer taste began to reflect a desire for healthier food products and low-fat diets, which meant buying less and less soda. According to a government survey, from 2004 to 2012, children consumed 79 fewer sugar-sweetened beverage calories a day. To support this even further, cities like Philadelphia, New York, and San Francisco were attempting soda taxes in the form of a sin tax.
If you were a blatantly threatened beverage company giant like PepsiCo Inc. or Coca-Cola Co, what would you do? In this type of market, you have to supply the product which consumers demand most – or possibly don’t even realize they need. This meant marketing a new type of water, one which provided even greater ‘health benefits’ and could sell for a higher price, bringing in the same revenue as soda.
And this is how ‘premium-water’ was born. For example, the tall, decorative bottles of LIFEWTR which launched in 2017 demonstrate Pepsi’s commitment to reeling in consumers with a new “premium-water” offering. Is this product actually worth the high price which distinguishes it from regular bottled water and more than anything, tap water?
Bottled water brands desperately want consumers to think so. In fact, marketing has pushed for them to believe that bottled water is a “purified spring water” liquid stemming from the runoff of glaciers and mountain springs. In reality, most of bottled water produced today is processed water, directly extracted groundwater that has been exposed to reverse osmosis or other purification treatments.
It can actually be argued that bottled water is less safe than tap because it does not have to be regulated through the Environmental Protection Agency like tap, but rather the Food and Drug Administration which holds it to fewer regulations and tests on sanitation.
Suspicions of bottled water failing to meeting high standards can be confirmed by numerous studies ranging from Consumer Reports to the Natural Resources Defense Council which disclosed that about a third of the water bottles from a 100-bottle brand sample had levels of bacteria or chemical contaminants above state or industry standards or guidelines.
Additionally, studies like that of Eric Teillet in 2010, found that U.S. consumers can’t even taste the difference between tap and bottled water, which just goes to show how marketed the unrealistic quality of bottled water actually is.
Why has the U.S. become so obsessed with drinking bottled water? It has been promoted to us time and time again that water is a healthier alternative to soda, while it’s really just an alternative to tap water – but one which costs 2,000 times more to drink.
At the same time, is it probable that disposable water bottles will one day be a thing of the past? It’s difficult to say due to the convenience of plastic and power of soda companies. Bottled water is bringing in $100 billion every year, a number of companies will market hard to maintain. In the end, it all comes down to the consumer preferences our next few decades will hold.
I like this topic a lot. I thought that the story opening up the blog was very clever and very well written. On top of this, it is very scary to think about how much harm the bottles of water that we use so often can harm the environment. I hope that one day this problem will be able to be fixed and bottled water will no longer be so normal.
The bottled water industry is insane. I have been challenging my family to move away from bottled water with limited success. I live with my trusted nalgene water bottle by my side. No tap water is equal and it is something every person should be able to relate too. The fact the students waste precious money on a case of aquafina (disgusting water by the way) when they could be getting their water from any of the Elkay LZS8WSSP Enhanced EZH2O Bottle Filling Station water fountains we have on campus. I have never had FIJI water but I’d bet my net worth those water fountains produce better tasting water.
It is crazy how bottled water is such a significant aspect of our economic market. It is ironic that you mentioned LIFEWTR because with the start of this semester I have seen many people walking around with this brand of water and have now seen it being sold in the dining halls.
I agree with you in that people have the preconceived notion that bottled water is cleaner than tap water because of the presentation of it. As you mentioned, the standards for tap can actually be stricter than those for bottled water, and my grandfather tells me that all the time. I try to be conscientious about overconsumption of bottled water and use a reusable bottle the majority of the time.
This is a very interesting topic that I feel has not been touched on enough. There is a massive stigma against using and drinking tap water for almost no reason. The “need” for bottled water was simply generated by companies trying to earn a profit. This is completely ridiculous, especially as it is so easy to just use a refillable water bottle. It is so much better for the environment, not to mention it is cheaper for people to use in the long run. Hopefully something can be done soon to change the public habit of unnecessarily using too many plastic water bottles.