| Water: A brief comparison
of mineral waters |
You sit down in a restaurant, make your choices, and
then the waiter asks: “De l’eau minérale? Gazeuse ou plat? En
bouteille? En carafe?” The waters start swirling. Too many
choices! Should you buy the bottled stuff or just take your water from
the faucet? If you choose bottled, should it be sparkling or still?
Europeans
have been drinking water from springs for centuries. The Romans promoted
the curative qualities of spring waters, and as they crossed Gaul, they
discovered many of the same sources and springs that are still in use
today, including Vichy and St. Yorré near Allier in central France. The
choices among brands and composition is almost mind-boggling, nearly as
mind-boggling as choosing a wine or a loaf of bread.
Drinking water in France is deemed quite safe
these days, having to pass more than 60 different tests, but there are
questions about whether pesticides are detected by these tests. We
decided to do just a quick bit of research to find out how to
distinguish these eaux minérales.
|
|
First, still vs. sparkling: the choice is a matter of taste
rather than benefit. Neither is better or worse for you. The more north
in Europe one goes, the more sparkling water is preferred. As an
example, sparkling water usage averages 27% (vs. still), but Germans
prefer it at a rate of 97%, the French at 13%, and the US at 16%.
Second,
curative or not? In France, true mineral water from underground springs
(vs. spring water, eau de source) is much more highly
regulated and may be promoted as beneficial to health. In the EU those
rules are much the same although a bit less strict (so far). In the US
no bottled water can be promoted as curative or beneficial in any way.
Third,
what to look for in content? French bottled waters are much higher in
mineral content than those in the US, at least according to our
quick survey of labels (see below). If you want even more, the website www.mineralwaters.org
has an extensive comparative listing of hundreds of brands of waters. |
|
Sparkling waters Eaux
gazeuses
|
Calcium |
Magnesm |
Sodium |
Potassm |
Bicarbs |
Chlorides |
Nitrates |
Sulfates |
Fluoride |
Silica |
pH |
|
| Badoit (Fr) |
190 |
85 |
150 |
10 |
1300 |
40 |
0 |
40 |
1 |
35 |
6.0 |
|
| Perrier (Fr) |
147.3 |
3.4 |
9 |
.6 |
390 |
21.5 |
18 |
33 |
.12 |
0 |
5.5 |
|
| St. Jean (Fr) |
76 |
25 |
228 |
36 |
908 |
16 |
1.4 |
52 |
0 |
0 |
6.0 |
|
| St. Yorre (Fr) |
90 |
11 |
1708 |
132 |
4368 |
322 |
0 |
17 |
9 |
0 |
6.6 |
|
| Vichy (Fr) |
90 |
9 |
1265 |
71 |
3245 |
227 |
2 |
129 |
5 |
0 |
6.8 |
|
| Volcan (Fr) |
196.6 |
34.5 |
13 |
1.3 |
420 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.23 |
- |
|
| San Pelegrino
(It) |
208 |
55.9 |
43.6 |
2.7 |
135.5 |
74.3 |
.45 |
549.2 |
.52 |
9 |
7.7 |
|
| Poland Spring
(US) |
4.1 |
1 |
1.5 |
.5 |
396.5 |
1.6 |
0 |
5.3 |
0 |
1.7 |
6.5 |
|
| Gerolsteiner
(Ger) |
347 |
108 |
119 |
10.8 |
1817 |
39.7 |
5.1 |
36.3 |
.21 |
40.2 |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Still waters Eaux
plates
|
|
Calcium |
Magnesm |
Sodium |
Potassm |
Bicarbs |
Chlorides |
Nitrates |
Sulfates |
Fluoride |
Silica |
pH |
|
| Carrefour (Fr) |
4.1 |
1.7 |
2.7 |
.9 |
258 |
.9 |
.8 |
1.1 |
0 |
32.7 |
7.3 |
|
| Casino (Fr) |
243 |
77 |
45 |
8 |
295 |
66 |
.5 |
0 |
2.1 |
0 |
7.0 |
|
| Contrex (Fr) |
451 |
66 |
8 |
3 |
386 |
6 |
1 |
1058 |
.32 |
0 |
- |
|
| Cristalline (Fr) |
44 |
24 |
23 |
2 |
287 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
7.6 |
|
| Evian (Fr) |
78 |
23 |
5.5 |
.75 |
357 |
2.2 |
3.8 |
10 |
0 |
13.5 |
7.2 |
|
| Hepa (Fr) |
555 |
110 |
14 |
0 |
403 |
0 |
3.9 |
1479 |
0 |
0 |
7.0 |
|
| Vittel (Fr) |
202 |
36 |
3.8 |
0 |
402 |
0 |
4.6 |
306 |
.28 |
0 |
7.5 |
|
| Volvic (Fr) |
11.5 |
8 |
11.6 |
6.2 |
71 |
13.5 |
6.3 |
8.1 |
0 |
31.7 |
7.0 |
|
| Aquafina (Can) |
35 |
22 |
11 |
4 |
46 |
71 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
| Ozarka (US) |
2 |
1.2 |
2.3 |
0 |
4.9 |
3.5 |
0 |
2.1 |
0 |
0 |
6.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
General consensus is that calcium, magnesium and potassium are more
desirable; sulfates, nitrates and silica are less desirable...but all
depends on your own health situation. Other than that, you’re on your
own.
Fourth, who drinks what? Italians lead Europeans in per capita
bottled water consumption at 155 liters per year, about 45/55% still vs.
sparkling, followed by the Belgians at 123 liters per year. French
consumption is in the middle range at 112 liters per person per year. US
figures are harder to come by, but the Beverage Marketing Group
maintains that Americans have nearly tripled their consumption of still
bottled water in the past ten years…a great marketing story in
itself!
Conclusions? Bottled vs. tap, check your local
water supply. The French tend to choose water in a carafe, unless at a
grand restaurant, but drink bottled water at home. Our preferences? As
above, but when buying bottled, we prefer Badoit for sparkling, Volvic
for still water, tapwater (eau de robinet) in a pinch!
For complete information on water comparisons, visit
www.mineralwaters.org
|
Which brands have the most of what
among the bottled waters of France?
| By
content: |
Sparkling |
Still |
| Calcium |
Badoit |
Hepa |
| Magnesium |
Badoit |
Hepa |
| Sodium |
St
Yorré |
Casino |
| Potassium |
St
Yorré |
Casino |
| Bicarbs |
St
Yorré |
Hepa |
| Chlorides |
St
Yorré |
Casino |
| Nitrates |
Perrier |
Volvic |
| Sulfates |
Vichy |
Contrex |
| Fluoride |
St
Yorré |
Casino |
|
|
