Stricter regulation of bottled water companies needs to be used. A shocking fact that many consumers are probably not aware of is that 25% of all bottled water comes directly from municipal taps, from all cities. It is difficult for consumers to notice the difference in taste between spring water and refined tap water because companies re-purify and/or add minerals to the water. (McGrath). Consumers are sold the claim of having natural, pure and healthy water, but do not always receive these benefits. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Samples of bottled water from major companies like Aquafina and Dasani were used in a large study, along with one hundred and three other brands of bottled water conducted by Natural Resources Canada, this study only produced even more disturbing and shocking facts relating to the bottled water sector. The study concluded that "about a third of the waters tested contained levels of contamination including synthetic organic chemicals, bacteria and arsenic." sold to consumers as "pure, natural, purified and filtered" when there is a high possibility that the claim is not entirely true, companies will continue with their dirty ways so that bottled water companies can compete with the "taste" of tap water, extra ingredients are added to bottled water. These extra ingredients introduced by companies may include: calcium, magnesium and possibly salt, in minute amounts (Stanek) Deception about what a product is made of is another business-oriented tactic used by companies. Take bottled water giant Polonia Spring for example. It's safe to assume that most Americans have seen what the label on a Polonia Spring water bottle looks like, reading "Natural Spring Water From Maine Since 1845" on a banner. in front of a stream that flows between a group of trees. The tricky part about this is the label itself. When a consumer sees an image of a lush stream within a stand of trees, and beneath the image is a banner reading "Natural Spring Water from Maine Since 1845," chances are the company has just earned another sale. Yes, there really is a spring in Maine called "Poland Spring", but it is no longer the source of Polonia Springs bottled water, since 1996. That was more than ten years ago and most people are still left to believe to purchase water from a “Polish Spring” in the state of Maine. Polonia Spring is still allowed to say their water comes from Maine, but there are multiple springs (approximately three different springs) located up to thirty miles from the primary source. (McGrath) The Food and Drug Administration follows the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to regulate bottled water. However, due to the Food and Drug Administration's status as a federal government agency, only thirty to forty percent of bottled water sold across state lines can be monitored. In conclusion, a large percentage of sixty to seventy percent of the bottled water sold within a single state is not included in the previously mentioned regulation that is enforced under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of the Food and Drug Administration. For water that falls within the group chosen to be regulated by the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the requirement to test the water used for bottling is minimal. Once a year, bottled water, except carbonated bottled water,is checked for the presence of chemical, physical and radiological contaminants. In addition to the already minimal safety checks on the integrity of "healthy water," the Food and Drug Administration has only one, yes, a single full-time worker employed to oversee testing of bottled water. These two factors, minimally controlling the integrity of the water used in bottled water, which only occurs once a year, and the absolute minimum number of full-time workers, who knows what might slip through the cracks. Hopefully nothing too serious before it becomes irreversible. (The Progressive) Even though most bottled water operations are reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, officials working in the bottled water industry neither say nor promise that bottled water is a safer alternative to tap water, otherwise known as municipal tap water. In fact, the president of the International Bottled Water Association, Joe Doss, adds: "We think that drinking water, whether bottled or tap, is a good thing. I'm not going to say that bottled water is healthier." Doss also points out that: “It all comes down to what consumers prefer.” (Springen) If the president of what is the largest bottled water representation on an international scale publicly acknowledges this, practically confirming that bottled water is no cleaner than tap water, why are so many companies still trying to influence and persuade consumers? in purchasing their product by making them believe that they will drink something of superior quality? The question of whether bottled water is truly healthy or not, and "pure, natural, purified, filtered" doesn't just apply to water itself. Let's say there are two different brands of bottled water, side by side, both coming from the same source. Both Brand A and Brand B collect water from a shared source and bottle it, selling it as "pure, natural, purified, filtered...." but when an independent research group decides they want to verify and test the truth behind such claims, they find that brand A's water is more contaminated than that sold by brand B. Why might this be? The water bottle itself! Companies should not be given the OK to bottle water, regardless of how pure it is, because ultimately, the “purity” of that bottled water could be compromised by chemicals and materials that leach into the water in the time or pressure. from the bottle itself. With an average of twenty-six billion water bottles consumed by Americans in a year, and only about fourteen percent of these bottles are recycled... Think of all the chemicals in plastic that could put the health of people at risk American consumers buying. bottled water regularly and consume it, and also its negative impact on the environment once dissolved for recycling. Food and Drug Administration requirements state that companies must test a minimum of four empty plastic water bottles on a quarterly basis. This test is necessary due to the possibility of bacterial contamination. One rather disturbing piece of information to add to all of this is that the Food and Drug Administration currently does not have a specific requirement for bottled water companies to present quality/sample test results to the public and consumer group. On the other hand, municipal water providers are required by the Food and Drug Administration to make this information available for all to see. (The Progressive)Some argue that no one forces consumers to..