But far overshadowing taste as a selling point and issue is the safety of
ordinary tap drinking water. That was called into question in the 1980’s and it
has struck a nerve with consumers ever since. A city water scare in Milwaukee
in 1993 just fueled the claims that bottled water was better and safer. And in
the summer in New York City, if a
water main bursts then everyone heads for their nearby store to buy bottled
water. They are not likely to scoop up spilled city water and boil it instead.
But one has to ask if anyone (repeat
anyone) has ever died in the U.S.
from drinking municipal drinking (tap) water? Your author could find no record
of such an incident. Nonetheless, the bottled water industry hit hard at the
water safety factor and created a demand for bottled water. Then, athletes and
other celebrities were seen with their water bottles and that did it. It became
“cool.”
Bottled water sales have never looked back. It should be noted here, by the
way, that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for
overseeing and regulating public drinking water in the United
States. The Federal Drug Administration
(FDA) is responsible for regulating bottled water products at the federal
level. Additionally, with tap water, county and city governments are
responsible for testing and purifying the water supply. With bottled water
there is no further regulation. And if a company bottles and sells water within
a given state there is often no regulation oversight at all.
Popularity
Some 60% of Americans drink bottled water, at least occasionally and there
are more than 700 brands. Surprisingly, a higher percentage of Blacks,
Hispanics and Asians drink bottled water than the rest of the population.
Perhaps at least some of this goes back to their country of origin where
drinking water was not always secure. And since many live in the poorer areas
they may be convinced that the city water is as bad as the rest of their
surroundings.
But this aside, drinking bottled
water has not only become a drink of necessity but a “beverage choice,” meaning
that many consumers choose bottled water over drinking a soda. This is a good
thing because people are supposed to drink several glasses of water a day and
substituting water for soda is a good nutritional decision. Also, people see
professional cyclists and marathon runners being handed bottles of water as
they race by. Again, it reinforces that if bottled water is good enough for
these elite athletes then it is certainly good enough for me.