Sanbwa is a voluntary association of water bottlers committed to producing bottled water to internationally accepted standards. Sanbwa members produce more than 80% of the bottled water consumed in South Africa.
“Recent media reports that bottled water consumers could be being ripped off or endangering their health and the environment will have alarmed some consumers, particularly as we go into summer and the festive season - and consumption of bottled water rises,” says Sanbwa chairman, John Weaver.
“We therefore want to state unequivocally that any water sold under the Sanbwa logo is guaranteed to be what it claims to be.
“Under both Sanbwa’s own very stringent criteria for membership and new South African legislation governing the production of bottled water, it is illegal for anyone to put tap water in a bottle and label it as spring water or natural mineral water. Sanbwa members and all water bottlers in SA must state on their bottle labels where their water is sourced and what it contains.
“What the water contains and the ways in which its constituents may be altered is regulated very strictly, both according to the Department Of Health regulations and in accordance with internationally accepted health and safety regulations.
As far as Sanbwa is aware no bottled water offered for sale in South Africa is tap water labelled as spring water.
“Also, Sanbwa members are unequivocally committed to good environmental stewardship and the association’s environmental committee is currently drawing up very precise guidelines that will continue to ensure that our carbon footprint is minimised and that our impact on groundwater remains minimal – as it always has been.
“In other words, consumers can go ahead and enjoy their summer festivities knowing that any bottled water carrying the Sanbwa logo is safe, palatable, and environmentally friendly.”
Sanbwa works closely with the South African National Consumer Union (SANCU), the Department of Health, and the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), on maintaining the standards of bottled water production in South Africa – and Sanbwa was one of the main drivers of the drafting of regulations for bottled water that came into effect in July this year.
Mrs Lillibeth Moolman, chairman of SANCU, says that choice is one of the inherent rights of consumers – “and, in this country, consumers do have the choice of different brands of bottled water at various prices. Consumers must read the label and see whether the SABS and Sanbwa mark is on the bottle.”
“It’s also important to note that prepared water, as per legislation, can also use municipal water as source from which certain chemical components and impurities have been removed by, for example, reverse osmosis, and to which other components can be added to deliver a balanced mineral composition” Weaver says.
“The production of prepared water, in this country, is strictly regulated to ensure its quality. The point is, as Mrs Moolman says, to read the label on the bottle so that you know what you’re drinking – and can be sure that you’re not exposing yourself to someone who’s passing off the water from his kitchen tap as prepared water.” |
