As we have mentioned before, our concerns with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ sponsors go beyond their product portfolios and also include issues of environmental stewardship.
This is precisely why “But Coca-Cola sells Dasani water!” is a moot point. This 2007 article delves into how and why bottled water is often made at the expense of public resources:
“Dasani [is a] Coca-Cola brand [that] is the second best-selling bottled water product in the United States, right behind Pepsi’s Aquafina. And both are, essentially, glorified tap water. Dasani, for example, is the product of what the company calls “reverse osmosis.” According to a dazzling animation on the product’s website, water is taken from a municipal source – which usually means it’s the same water the local community also uses. It is then filtered, purified, treated and tinged with trace minerals such as potassium chloride, salt and magnesium sulfate. Voila – Dasani.”
Also:
“If people in Atlanta knew that they need to go to the store to buy bottled water because they’re asked to conserve, and find out they’re buying [municipal water] that’s bottled in a Marietta plant …” says Gigi Kellett of Corporate Accountability International, a big-business watchdog group. “And then these corporations are turning around and selling it to these individuals when they’re taking it directly from their source.”
PS: We would love for there to be a session on the environmental impact of bottled water at the Academy’s annual conference.
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