Water Usage & Privatization | Food Empowerment Project. Water is not the rarest element on Earth, but it is our most precious natural resource because every terrestrial life form—plant, animal and human—depends on H2O for survival. Most people know that water covers about two-thirds of the entire planet’s surface, but fewer are aware that most of that is saltwater, and only about 2.5 percent is freshwater suitable for drinking and growing food. Furthermore, less than 1 percent of the world’s freshwater supply is available to humans and ecosystems because most of it remains frozen in the remote Arctic and Antarctic regions.[1] Animal agriculture and water use Agriculture uses far more freshwater worldwide—70 percent of the global total—than any other human activity.[8] Much of this water goes to crop irrigation, but a significant proportion (about 8 percent of the total) is used to raise animals for “meat,” dairy and eggs.
Irrigating crops fed to animals raised for food is by far the industry’s main use of water. Example 1: Nestlé in the US. Bottled Water Sales: The Shocking Reality – Significant Figures by Peter Gleick. The numbers are in for 2012, and they are shocking. The Beverage Marketing Corporation, which tracks sales and consumption of beverages, is reporting that sales of bottled water grew nearly 7 percent between 2011 and 2012, with consumption reaching a staggering 30.8 gallons per person. And since I (and some of you) consume almost zero bottled water every year, there are people out there drinking far more than the average.
Thirty-six years ago, this industry didn’t exist. Americans drank fewer than two gallons of bottled water per year, and almost all of that was in the form of water from big office coolers. Figure 1 shows the dramatic exponential growth in bottled water sales over this period. Bottled water sales per person in the United States, from 1976 to 2012. Despite having one of the best municipal tap water systems in the world, American consumers are flocking to commercial bottled water, which costs thousands of times more per gallon. We need action on this, including: Bottled Water Business | Water Bottling Plants | WB USA. The water bottling business is the fastest growing part of the beverage business and can be very profitable if done right. The world population is now over six billion people with many people not having access to clean drinking water that is one big market!
The booming water market has been call many different names like “the oil of the 21th century”,” liquid gold”, “ blue gold” and has become over a 50 billion dollar a year business. Just about all of the major drink companies like Coke, Pepsi, Nestle, Starbucks and even Anheuser-Busch have large investments in the drinking water business. With the world water sources getting more polluted every day the demand is also increases every day. To have a profitable water bottling company you must do your research and write a business plan to make sure the business will be successful. What type and size of water bottling plant do I want to put in and what is the real cost? Have the money to buy it.Will you need to make your own bottles? Bottled Water Sales Rising as Soda Ebbs. Jennifer S.
Altman for The New York Times By the end of this decade, if not sooner, sales of bottled water are expected to surpass those of carbonated soft drinks. But bottled water is washing away the palate trained to drain a bubbly soda. By the end of this decade, if not sooner, sales of bottled water are expected to surpass those of carbonated soft drinks, according to Michael C. Bellas, chief executive of the Beverage Marketing Corporation. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Mr. Bellas, who has watched water’s rise in the industry since the 1980s. Sales of water in standard lightweight plastic bottles grew at a rate of more than 20 percent every quarter from 1993 to 2005, he said. If the estimated drinking of water from the household tap is included, water consumption began exceeding that of soda in the mid-2000s.
That significant shift has posed a tough challenge for the Coca-Cola Company and rival PepsiCo in recent years. FAQs | IBWA | Bottled Water. What is bottled water? Bottled water is a great beverage choice for hydration and refreshment because of its consistent safety, quality, good taste and convenience. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fully regulates bottled water as a packaged food product and requires bottled water to adhere to FDA's extensive food safety, labeling and inspection requirements.
Bottled water is also subject to state regulations and, at the industry level, members of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) are required to follow the IBWA Model Code. Water is classified as "bottled water" or "drinking water" when it meets all applicable federal and state standards, is sealed in a sanitary container and is sold for human consumption. By law, FDA standards for bottled water must be at least as stringent and protective of public health as standards set by the U.S.
[Return to top] What are the different types of bottled water? How do I know my water is safe? What is Cryptosporidium? Yes. Yes. Buy, Store & Serve Safe Food > February/March 2002 Ask the Regulators -- Bottled Water Regulation and the FDA. Authors Reprinted from Food Safety Magazine August/September 2002 issue (Also available in PDF format) Bottled water is an increasingly popular beverage in the U.S. Total U.S. bottled water sales have grown from roughly 6% to more than 13% per year over the last five years, according to data from MarketResearch.com and from the Beverage Marketing Corp (BMC).1,2 Based on these growth rates, BMC has predicted that bottled water may soon become the nation's second most popular beverage after soft drinks.3 Another indicator of bottled water's popularity is the steady stream of questions about bottled water flowing into the U.S.
Regulating Bottled Water In the U.S., bottled water and tap water are regulated by two different agencies; the FDA regulates bottled water and the U.S. FDA regulates bottled water as a food. 21 CFR Part 129. 21 CFR § 165.110. Under the standard of quality (165.110[b]), FDA establishes allowable levels for contaminants in bottled water. Inspection of Bottled Water Plants. Bottled Water. Environmental Issues > Water Main Page > All Water Documents Pure Drink or Pure Hype? Report page Chapter 4Gaping Holes in Government Bottled Water Regulation The bottled water industry often makes the claim that it is far better regulated than tap water suppliers are. For example, the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) testified in 1991 that "When compared to the level of regulation and scrutiny applied to tap water . . .bottled water consumers come out way ahead.
" [103] IBWA asserted that "If one considers the full range of FDA consumer protection standards, bottled water safeguards have been more complete and protective for a longer time than tap water standards. " [104] This continues to be the industry argument. In a 1998 fact sheet, for example, IBWA contends, "Quality is in every container of bottled water. FDA Rules for Bottled Water Are Generally Less Strict than Tap Water Rules FDA has been slow to act. Gaps and Loopholes in FDA Regulations 1. 2. 3. Bottled Water Taxation | IBWA | Bottled Water. Policy Statement The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is dedicated to providing quality, safe, and convenient bottled water for consumers.
IBWA supports tax policies that promote bottled water job development, business investment in communities, and the development of bottled water resources. IBWA opposes all taxes, surcharges, fees, and levies specifically targeted against bottled water. Background Water is an essential part of everyone’s daily diet. Under Federal law, bottled water is classified as a food product. States also regulate bottled water from source approval to production and sale of the finished product. "common sense leads us to the conclusion that the legislature did not intend to exempt beverages like milk and juice, which we can survive without, and not water, which we cannot survive without. " Bottled water is produced for human consumption, which is the highest and best use of water. Bottled water also plays a significant role during emergency situations. Bottled Water | Food & Water Watch. By Ben King It’s no secret that big businesses try to influence the political environment and government through lobbying, PAC money and plying elected officials with campaign contributions.
After reviewing contributions made by Nestlé Waters, it seems that the company is no stranger to this strategy. From Michigan to Florida, Nestlé has been very generous with contributions to members of Congress whose districts include springs and other water sources or bottling facilities. In 2007, Nestlé gave thousands in campaign contributions to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels [R], who supported the Great Lakes Compact, a legal agreement among states in the Great Lakes region governing management of the local water supply. In 2004 and 2008, Nestlé gave big contributions to New York State Senator Carl Marcellino [R], a vociferous opponent of a new bottle deposit bill which would have imposed fees for certain plastic bottles, including those for bottled water, to encourage recycling. Microsoft Word - Natural Resources--Environment Subcommittee - Water Policy report--Draft.doc - waterpolicyrpt.pdf. Bottled water.