TICO BULL – On Friday, the Pepsi corporation admitted that its Aquafina bottled water is not purified water or spring water, but simply plain old tap water. The company will now be forced to change the labeling of the brand to reflect that it is just tap water.
Are brands like Alpina, Cristal and the others really only tap water? And if so will Costa Rica’s bottled water producers/distributors follow this trend?
Related: What to do if you get sick in Costa Rica
Many informed customers choose bottled water because they are concerned about the quality of tap water, which is many times riddled with fluoride and pharmaceuticals. Sadly, we are now learning that in many cases, bottled water is actually not any better than tap water.
Over the years, an advocacy group called, “Corporate Accountability International” has been checking the contents of bottled water and pressuring companies to stop their false advertisement.
Aquafina is actually one of the top selling water brands in the world, and may see a slide in sales as a result of these new findings.
PepsiCo representative Michelle Naughton said in a recent statement that, “If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it’s a reasonable thing to do.”
The corporate accountability group is now looking to Coca-Cola’s Dasani bottled water for false advertisement. However, Dasani denies that their product is just tap water.
“We don’t believe that consumers are confused about the source of Dasani water. The label clearly states that it is purified water,” Coca-Cola spokeswoman Diana Garza Ciarlante said.
As we reported earlier this year, Major water supplier Niagara Bottling recently announced that one of their springs was contaminated by E-Coli, causing many leading bottled water companies to recall their products
Article first appeared at Ticobull.com
Sources for the article:
https://www.rt.com/usa/319980-aquafina-tap-water-origins/
https://www.inverse.com/article/7459-aquafina-stop-calling-us-tap-water-we-use-a-filtration-system
The fluoride comment? Costa Rica doesn’t fluoridate their water, the put it in the salt!
What was the intent of this article? QCostaRica´s article refers to ¨a recent statement¨ that is actually dated in 2007, when Aquafina admitted that the origin of the water is from public treatment plants, now their bottles are labelled PWS..public water supply. But their current website says that the water then undergoes a 7’step purification process … so it appears to be¨¨purified water¨but not ¨spring water¨.
. I saw the original report of 2007, and it was recently reposted in 2015. Q’s article is confusing and alarmist since the original article is 8 yrs. old. Wondering what the point was? Nevertheless, Aguafina’s bottles are now labeled “P.W.S.” The new labels will spell out “public water source.” The company that sells Agua Cristal in Costa Rica states that it comes from the highlands of the Central Volcanic Range of Costa Rica and gushing springs in Echeverria, in Alajuela, where it is packaged under high quality standards. The company Web site says it runs the water through a centrifuge to remove any unwanted solids. Then the liquid goes through an active carbon filter that absorbs odor or discolorations in the water. The next step involves cotton microfilters to catch any remaining solids or microorganisms. Finally the water ends up in a stainless tank where an electric current generates purifying ozone. Coca-Cola Costa Rica sells the Alpina brand. Its springs are in San José.
I have been drinking AyA tap water for many years in the Greater San Jose area. Some folks recommend drinking only bottled water at the beach areas. I had heard that one bottled water product here is tap water but filtered, taking only the chlorine out. I just can’t get over the cost for a bottle of water. I felt the 4.7 quake this morning at 9:10, and it remined me that If a major earthquake hits, water pipes will probably be shattered or swept away, so now this cautious expat keeps a supply of bottled water on hand….just in case.