Mineral water

**ccfcman** · 16/01/2006, 9:21 AM

Waddafack is with Mineral Water :/

Am I the only person who thinks a) what a rip off , b) its seems to just be fashionable!

Now living in the country as I do, we have crisp clean water from a well [not a Jack and Gill well mind you!] and when in the city, Cork, I don't see any major difference, though you know its not quite as fresh.

I just think bottlers are ripping us off! Well Coca Cola got caught red handed bottling tap water before but I accept most companies do reckon their mineral water is good stuff.

**pete** · 16/01/2006, 9:43 AM

Originally Posted by ccfcman

Well Coca Cola got caught red handed bottling tap water before but I accept most companies do reckon their mineral water is good stuff.

They were not selling as mineral water though. They were selling purified water which is apparently big in some countries but a disaster in the UK market. I think they just "purify" tap water.

There is a difference between mineral & spring water.

Water qualift probably varies a lot in this country especially from those water schemes which seem to get polluted from time to time & no one knows about it...

**ccfcman** · 16/01/2006, 10:54 AM

Ok lets say Bottled water as a whole then

**ollie** · 16/01/2006, 11:40 AM

yea its cheaper to make than any fizzy drink(surely) and they sell it for the same price. The difference in price is also a joke. on patrick street you can get water for €0.65c in 1 shop on 1 side of the street and its at least €1.20 in the shop on the other side.

**Metrostars** · 16/01/2006, 12:19 PM

I work for a Water company here in the US. Regarding the differences between the waters...

Spring Water comes from a source under the ground, there are pockets of subterranian water all over the place. The advantages of Spring Water is that there are naturally added minerals and vitamins.

Mineral Water is similar to Spring Water in that is contains naturally added vitamins and minerals but is not neccessarily found under the ground.

Purified Water is usually tap water that is put through a reverse osmosis cleaning.

Some skeptics complain how bottled water is a rip off, 'why should I pay for water'. But people do want to pay for the convenience of a bottle of water and for it's consistancy of taste. It's big business here. We sell $3billion of it every year in the US alone.

As for Coke, I dont work for them but they have always said their water source is municipal water. Some people are won over by clever marketing and miss the fine print. It is cheaper to bottle tap water because you can just set up a facility almost anywhere. We bottle mainly Spring Water. Spring water is much more costly as we have a geology team who go a find water sources. Also it is usually in the middle of nowhere and therefore more costly to bottle and transport. BTW soft drinks e.g. Coke, 7Up etc are 99.5% tap water.

**pete** · 16/01/2006, 2:40 PM

Originally Posted by Metrostars

BTW soft drinks e.g. Coke, 7Up etc are 99.5% tap water.

I would suspect soft drinbks cost feck all to manufacture & all the cost is marketing & advertising. I wonder what percentage of Coca Colas budget goes on advertising...

**razor** · 16/01/2006, 2:45 PM

I don't get the "taste" thing re : water.
It all tastes the same to me

**ollie** · 16/01/2006, 3:55 PM

Originally Posted by razor

I don't get the "taste" thing re : water.
It all tastes the same to me

theres a difference there.not much of a difference but its there all the same.Volvic is the best IMO

**SaucyJack** · 16/01/2006, 4:15 PM

Originally Posted by razor

I don't get the "taste" thing re : water.
It all tastes the same to me

I can only speak for American water(well NY water anyhow), I used to think it was all the same, until I put tap water into an empty spring water bottle and let it sit for awhile, well, you can very easily smell the chlorine the water has been treated with,and worse, you can taste it, so I've been converted to bottled spring water for about 5 years.

**pete** · 16/01/2006, 5:24 PM

Originally Posted by SaucyJack

...you can very easily smell the chlorine the water has been treated with,and worse, you can taste it...

I'm surprised you still alive drinking that water with chlorine in it.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the fact our water has flourine added? Why do not get a choice & why is it still been done?

**SaucyJack** · 16/01/2006, 5:58 PM

Originally Posted by pete

I'm surprised you still alive drinking that water with chlorine in it.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the fact our water has flourine added? Why do not get a choice & why is it still been done?

flourine, that's what I meant.

**ccfcman** · 17/01/2006, 7:46 AM

Wasn't there a bit of rumblings a few years ago as to why its added when its in toothpaste?

**Lionel Ritchie** · 17/01/2006, 10:10 AM

The major factor affecting the "taste" of water (water is of course tasteless)
is temperature. You're unlikely to pull a bottle of Kerry Spring/Tipperary/Volvic or anyone elses out of a cupboard and start slugging it from the neck.
You refridgerate it first.
Do the same with a bottle of tap water and you'll have a bottle of drinking water that's as "wholesome" if not more so than the one you've paid for.

Fridges sold to Eskimos comes to mind.

Fluorine (Fluoride?) in the water is a tricky one. On the one hand it has had a measured effect on dental health in this country.

On the other -it's not seen as best practice in other developed countrys and there's some evidence that it's not safe.

It is also alleged that the Fluoridation industry that has taken root in this country are substantial donors to the coffers of those loveable rogues in the Soldiers of Destiny.

**tiktok** · 17/01/2006, 10:23 AM

I live in a part of the country (Co.Meath) that has particularly hard water and there's a noticeable aftertaste to it, even from the tap. But as Lionel Ritchie indicated, using a Brita filter and a fridge mean that I don't buy bottled water (and throughout most of the country I'm quite happy to drink tap water).

While I lived in the states I thought the quality of municipal water was poor and I have to admit I bought spring water where I could, in terms of cost though, it was a fraction of what it costs here.

As for flouridation of water supply, it's getting the balance right that's the problem, as over flouridation (combination of slight excesses in water supply, flouride in toothpaste, even now in some chewing gums) can actually damage teeth badly. Ireland flouridates at relatively low levels.

**anto eile** · 17/01/2006, 10:51 AM

vovlic is crap.makes me sick for some weird reason.
rather drink a glass of tap water than bottled water.
though we often use a water filter in my house,not that the water isnt safe,just use it for purity reasons,also keeping cold water in the fridge is nice.

funny when you see a best before date on bottled water, its been underground for 800 years, yet when you buy it its going to be out of date in 6 months time. just as well ballygowan found it when they did, and managed to bottle it in time before it went stale!

**pete** · 17/01/2006, 11:41 AM

I think spring water is far too expensive in this country when compared with places like France.

I use a water filter as get those hard water flakes in the tap water. When i;m back home in Cork water if clear so no need for filter althiugh i've been to peoples houses where the tap water is kinda brown....

**sligoman** · 17/01/2006, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by anto eile

funny when you see a best before date on bottled water, its been underground for 800 years, yet when you buy it its going to be out of date in 6 months time. just as well ballygowan found it when they did, and managed to bottle it in time before it went stale!

Actually that best before date is there for a reason. I remember being told why bottled water goes out of date but I can't remember it now

.

A lot of the bad stuff in bottled water goes to the top of the bottle, so if you spill the top bit out first when you buy it, then you're dumping most of the bacteria apparently

.

**Metrostars** · 17/01/2006, 1:24 PM

How much is Spring Water in Ireland anyway? I usually pay $5 for a 24 pack of 1/2 litre Poland Spring water. And yes there is a difference in taste. After years of drinking Poland Spring water(about 3 litres a day), the odd occasion when I try tap water if I run out, I almost spit it out cos I find it so different.