[article] The Real Thing...H2O

mike65

This from bbc

Soft drink is purified tap water

Tap water is the source for Coca-Cola's Dasani product
Soft drink giant Coca-Cola has admitted it is selling purified tap water in a bottle.

It says the source for its new Dasani bottled water is the mains supply at its factory in Kent.

The company says Dasani is "as pure as bottled water gets" due to a "highly sophisticated purification process".

But the UK water industry is worried that the marketing of the product implies tap water is impure, which experts say is not the case.

'Reverse osmosis'

Coca-Cola is investing £7m in launching Dasani, which has become the second most popular bottled water in the US following its launch there in 1999.


We would never say tap water isn't drinkable. It's just that Dasani is as pure as water can get - there are different levels of purity

Coca-Cola
Marketing for the product says it goes through four stages of production before it is bottled, starting with being passed through three separate filters.

Coca-Cola says "reverse osmosis", "a technique perfected by Nasa to purify fluids on spacecraft", is then used to filter the water further before minerals are added to "enhance the pure taste".

Finally, "ozone" is injected to keep the water sterile, the company says.

But water industry representatives say consumers do not need to buy Dasani to get "excellent quality, healthy water".

'Tap water pure'

Barrie Clarke, spokesman for suppliers' representative Water UK, said: "We don't think there are any impurities in tap water.

"If people like the bottle, the convenience, the style, then fine, but I don't think that is the way they are marketing this product.


Dasani is the second biggest selling bottled water in the US

"Tap water is pure, and that's the opinion of the drinking water inspectorate, which carries out three million checks a year."

Judith Snyder, brand PR manager for Dasani, confirmed "municipal" water supplies were used but said the source was "irrelevant" because it "doesn't affect the end result".

She said: "We would never say tap water isn't drinkable.

"It's just that Dasani is as pure as water can get - there are different levels of purity."

Research published on Wednesday shows that UK consumers drank more then two billion litres of water in 2003 - up 18% on 2002

sceptre

I saw someone from one of the water companies on one of the reputable news channels (must have been the Beeb then) last night saying that if a typical household converted totally to Dasani for their drinking water, the cost would go from about 200 quid (what they'd be spending on tap water) to 18 grand a year. That second figure seems a little high to me (assuming the Coke stuff is about a quid a litre I can't work out how a household would drink 18000 litres of anything a year) but I'll stick with my city tap water and Brita filter with the odd bottle of Kerry Spring Pear thanks.

dudara

Most tap water is fine, and perfectly drinkable. Here in work however, the water in the pipes is chronic. I don't know why, but it's always warm and flat somehow.

Sarsfield

Originally posted by sceptre
I'll stick with my city tap water and Brita filter

Or the cheaper filter alternatives Otherwise in full agreement. Nothing beats a nice chilled glass of tap water from the fridge.

a technique perfected by Nasa to purify fluids on spacecraft

I believe they're referring to the technique NASA have developed for turning astronauts pee back into drinking water! How's about that for marketing spin :eek:

mike65

6000% more expensive than typical UK tap water.

Mike.

sceptre

Originally posted by Sarsfield
Or the cheaper filter alternatives

Oh indeed. Argos have (or used to have) generic cheaper filters that fit. I suppose when my current stock runs out I might be able to get them even cheaper somewhere else.

simu

Originally posted by sceptre
I saw someone from one of the water companies on one of the reputable news channels (must have been the Beeb then) last night saying that if a typical household converted totally to Dasani for their drinking water, the cost would go from about 200 quid (what they'd be spending on tap water) to 18 grand a year. That second figure seems a little high to me (assuming the Coke stuff is about a quid a litre I can't work out how a household would drink 18000 litres of anything a year) but I'll stick with my city tap water and Brita filter with the odd bottle of Kerry Spring Pear thanks.

That probably includes water for washing as well.

Still, I'm staying well away from that Dasani stuff - I had it in America and it tastes horrible.