I'm writing you from The Front, well, the Consumer Battle Front, actually. You see, I wrote my vent about Dasani drinking water the other day, and it's been haunting me all this time. Why, I often find myself pondering, does Coca-Cola put out a bottled water with additives? I mean, they put salt in it. SALT! Who do they think we are? Fish? Anyway, I put together a quick little letter and, I hope, they'll write me back. I just want an explanation, don't you? So stick with me campers, and as soon as I get a response from the mighty, unstoppable, water salting behemoth that is the Coca-Cola company, I'll post it. THE LETTER: Hello, I was drinking a bottle of Dasani water just the other day, and I came to notice that there's more in the bottle than just water. Namely, I read that salt was added along with a series of other things. I checked with Calistoga, Crystal Geyser, Evian and Alhambra, and none of them add anything to their water (except for those that have clearly marked 'flavored' waters). My question to you is, why do you do it? What's the reason for putting salt, magnesium sulfate, and potassium chloride in the water? What exactly do they 'do' to the water? Just curious, and thanks. -Benjamin RESPOSE #1 November 25th, 2002 We appreciate your interest in The Coca-Cola Company, and will respond to your email as quickly as possible. We thank you for your patience. Your reference number is #1-3BGUN. Please use this number as a reference point for future communications with The Coca-Cola Company. RESPONSE #2 November 26th, 2002 Thank you for contacting The Coca-Cola Company, Mr. Smash. We appreciate this opportunity to assist you with your inquiry regarding DASANI. The water used to make the DASANI brand bottled water is tested and approved water from municipal water systems. It undergoes further purification treatment in our plants. To make DASANI brand bottled water, we use reverse osmosis, which is a molecular-level filtration process. During this process, most minerals and impurities are removed from the bottling plant's incoming water supply. As a result of this treatment, the water used to make DASANI contains less than 10 parts per million of total dissolved solids. To improve the taste of our purified water, we add a small amount of mineral salts to it after completion of the purification treatment. We made the decision to add minerals to DASANI brand bottled water based on consumer taste testing. Our research demonstrated that the addition of a very low level of minerals can improve the likeability of the water. Beverage industry periodicals not affiliated with our company are great resources for further research, such as Advertising Age, Beverage World, Beverage Digest, Beverage Industry and Brand Week. These can be found at your local library, and they usually provide helpful information about this topic. You may also check these online at the following Web sites: Beverage Digest Beverage World National Soft Drink Association Brand Week We hope this information is helpful. If you have additional questions or comments, please visit our Web site again. Tia SUMMARY So, what's lovely Tia telling us about her water? After all the hub-bub about testing and purification, after all the fancy talk with really well placed collegiate words, what's she telling us that Coca-Cola's stab at the bottled water market really is? Tap water. Want further, Smash-esque detailed info? You know that water that flushes your toilet? That's what's in Dasani's fancy, translucent, blue bottle. When you rinse your mouth out after you brush your teeth, that same water, almost free at home, costs you anywhere from thirty five cents to a dollar per bottle when it's offered from Coca Cola. I hope this little project has taught you three lessons. 1 - No question is a stupid question. |
