Tap Water vs. Bottled Water
What is the difference between Tap Water and Bottled Water? Well here it is.
Bottled water is considered a packaged food product, and then fore has to adhere to the FDA’s regulations. This means that the bottled water is regulated in such ways that it must be produced in a sanitary environment and that it is sealed in a sanitary container.
Tap water is not considered a packaged food product like Bottled Water and therefore is not subject to nearly as many regulations. Tap water is often disinfected in different ways than that of bottled water (ie. chlorine). These different methods can provide the tap water with an aftertaste, often undesired.
Bottled Water is held to higher standards and often experiences disinfectant methods that leave no aftertase, such as ozonation or ultraviolet light. These differences allow bottled water to become a safe and quality source of portable hydration. These benefits, however, come with a price tag… one both monetary and environmental.
A Tap Water vs. Bottled Water Stereotype
A common stereotype appears to exist when comparing tap water to bottled water. Clearly most would assume bottled water is the better choice. Many would reassure you that because of its price, packaging, and popularity bottled water must be the better option. After all, you get what you pay for right?
Tap water is commonly viewed to be second-class, a type of water sometimes known to be perfectly viable for everything, except drinking. Some people even find it safe to wash and cook food in tap water, but prefer to drink bottled water instead. Its not surprising that bottled water can command itself a much better image and become the local favorite so quickly. Bottled water companies spend large sums of money advertising and marketing their product, as well as improving its quality.
Contrary to many beliefs, tap water is held to government standards and only suffers from the downside of having to be dealt with in mass quantities. The filtration methods applied to tap water are often chosen for efficiency, not because they produce a clear crisp taste. These choices allow tap water to sometimes have “funky” aftertastes that give it a bad reputation amongst the community.
Numerous taste tests are hold to help prove the barely noticeable differences between bottled water and tap water, but the stereotype still remains. Tap water is often just as safe to drink as bottled water and comes with a much smaller price tag. Perhaps a smarter choice would be for the government to find a way to work with the bottled water companies to be able to distribute “bottled water” quality tap water to its people. Until then, everybody will just have to decide for themselves.