bottled water vs tap water

[Guest guest]

Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 16 (2003) 533–534

Editorial

Reflections on water

Ironies abound in this world—in politics, diplomacy, religion,

economics, human rights, sports, fashion, and nutrition. Water

features in one of those nutrition ironies. It is, arguably, the most

important food on the planet. Why is it then that so few food

composition tables have data on the composition of drinking water?

Where's drinking water in food pyramids? In many dietary guidelines

and goals, water is relegated to the & #64257;ne print or only mentioned in =

the context of consuming less soft drink. Exceptions include the

South African dietary guidelines, which state ``Drink lots of clean,

safe water,'' and the Greek pyramid with a footnote, ``Also remember

to drink plenty of water.'' Mostly, though, water is not mentioned.

Maybe we just take it for granted.

Fortunately, not everyone takes water for granted. The United Nations

General Assembly proclaimed the year 2003 as the International Year

of Freshwater.1 The resolution encourages Governments, the United

Nations system and all other actors to increase awareness of the

importance of sustainable freshwater use, management and protection.

Drinking water is at the top of the list.

Water is kind of an oddity. It is a chemically de & #64257;ned molecule that =

we measure in all foods, yet it is also a food in itself. From the

tap, and from sources other than factories where it is distilled and

deionized, it has a nutrient pro & #64257;le just as other foods do. In some =

countries, inorganics in the local water supply provide a

nutritionally signi & #64257;cant contribution to dietary intakes. In this

issue of the Journal, -Ihli et al. highlight fluoride in

municipal water supplies around the USA.While fluoride was the focus

of the report, the discussion and conclusion allude to issues of

relevance to the analysis and reporting of the broader elemental

profiles of drinking water from all sources.

Water provides some of the more perplexing diet-related ironies in

our various cultures. Bottled water is promoted as a healthier

alternative to tap water. However, this is often not the case, and

countries with the safest tap water are also the ones with the

highest consumption of bottled water. Claims for bottled water

include lower contents of pollutants, yet direct sources of

pollution of our freshwater are the plastic factories making the

bottles for the bottled water, and some indirect sources of water

pollution relate to transportation of bottled water around the

globe. Currently, one of the most important development goals in

Africa and Asia is to deliver drinking water by pipes to homes and

minimize the need to carry and store water. Yet it is now the

affluent in developed countries carrying and storing water for

drinking. Bottled water is estimated to be worth more than US$ 22

billion; imagine having that amount of money to clean

up and monitor local water supplies around the world. An interesting

report on bottled water2 poses the question, ``Is bottled water a

threat to tap water?'' The conclusion is—yes, in many ways

it is: ``Bottled waters should not be considered a sustainable

alternative to tap water; they are not exempt of periodical

contamination and are less energy-efficient than tap water. Tap water

is and should remain a public service meant to deliver good quality

drinking water.''

While some people & #64257;nd charming, the irony of drinking Californian

bottled water in Italy and Italian bottled water in California more

and more people are finding it disturbing. Greater value needs to be

given to local supplies of drinking water, and more attention is

required in the form of acquisition and publication of high quality

analytical data for nutrient elements and contaminants.

About 10 years ago I was dining with a group of nutritionists,

including a particularly eminent one. He rejected the bottled water

and ordered a carafe of tap water, expressing concern that bottled

water consumption was a threat to clean and safe water supplies.

These days, as I look around Mediterranean beaches littered with

empty plastic water bottles, I remember that conversation. It seemed

a little eccentric to me at the time. It seems prophetic now.

Barbara Burlingame

Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy

Editorial / Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 16 (2003) 533–

534 534

1 http://www.wateryear2003.org/.

2 Ferrier, C. (2001). Bottled water: understanding a social

phenomenon. http://www.panda.org/livingwaters/pubs/

bottled water.pdf