Bottled water: another example of the mad food & drink industry
Globally, we now drink 30 litres of packaged water per person per year, and in the UK 22% is imported. The same stats are true for milk. Madness especially when water is cheaper than milk in some shops.
Currently, bottled water is the second most popular liquid refreshment after fizzy drinks, but soon to be passed as health education and the Jamie Oliver effect continues to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks (well done Jamie). And the worry of polluted water like the unfortunate residents of Lancashire who had to boil their water after a parasite was discovered in the supply.
milk cheaper than water?
Likewise marketing has vastly increased water sales with one fifth of UK bottled water imported. Most comes from northern Europe, although some from as far away as Fiji or the Himalayas. Madness when we already have a beautiful, abundant source of mineral water and plenty to fulfil all our needs and not import a drop.
UK water should also be better. Producers are obliged to keep their water sources completely unpolluted or risk losing their operating licence.
A Scottish bottled water firm, for instance, has stopped all farming, agricultural spraying, building or habitation in its privately owned catchment area. As a result has been free from pesticides and pollution for almost three decades and the land now has organic status.
Foreign water does not have the same strict regulatory standards. Earlier this year, Nestlé came under fire in California when locals discovered that it was still extracting water 27 years after its permit had expired.
free tap water in sporty bottle
Please, everybody, just turn on the tap, fill your own designer water bottle and save lots of money.
Likewise switch to local food and buy from your local farm shop, butcher, farmers market or even village shop. By cutting out the middle men you should save money and get better food.
To find your local food click here for the BigBarn local food map.
Please note to avoid being accused of plagiarism some of the information above was taken from a Guardian article by Oliver Balch.
Interestingly we have offered the Guardian our local food map to open in their website so that readers can find their local suppliers. Unfortunately they wanted us to pay them a great deal of money which as a Community Interest company investing any profit we make in to building a social, local, food industry, we could not justify.
If anyone else would like our map, free, and earn a small commission on any sales through our MarketPlace please contact us.