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Bottled water in the United States

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Bottled water in the United States

The United States is the largest consumer market for bottled water in the world, followed by Mexico, China, and Brazil. In 2008, U.S. bottled water sales topped 8.6 billion US gallons (33,000,000 m3) for 28.9% of the U.S. liquid refreshment beverage market, exceeding sales of all other beverages except carbonated soft drinks, followed by fruit juices and sports drinks. By 2011, this number had risen to 9.1 billion gallons. Americans drink 21 US gallons (79 L) of bottled water per capita per year. From 1970 (16 brands) over 1998 (50 brands) to 2012 (195 brands), the number of mineral water brands in the U.S. has grown exponentially.

Regulation

Bottled water is regulated by the Food & Drug Administration according to standards of identity, standards of quality and good manufacturing practices.

Standards of identity define types of water for labeling purposes:

  • To be called ground water, the water must not be under the direct influence of surface water.
  • Water containing more than 250 parts per million of total dissolved solids is mineral water.
  • Artesian water comes from a well tapping a confined aquifer in which the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer; it may be collected with the assistance of external force to enhance the natural underground pressure.
  • Water that has been produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or similar processes is purified or demineralized water.
  • Sparkling water contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had at emergence from the source, although it may be removed and replenished in treatment.
  • Spring water must be derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the Earth's surface.
  • Sterile water meets the requirements under "sterility tests" in the United States Pharmacopoeia.
  • Well water is water that has been removed from a hole bored or drilled in the ground which taps into an aquifer.

    • Standards of quality regulate acceptable levels of the water's turbidity, color and odor, according to sample analysis. Exemptions are made according to aesthetically based allowable levels, and do not relate to health concerns. An example is mineral water, which is exempt from allowable color levels.

    References

    Bottled water in the United States Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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