When asked what they would do if they went into a shop looking to buy natural sourced water, and it was not available, over 37% of all respondents said that they would buy another drink, which is likely to be less healthy.
This rose to nearly 47% of 45 to 54-year-olds. 19.5% said they would find another shop and only 22% said they would ask for tap or find a water fountain.
14% said they would go without a drink completely, again not good for overall health, and worryingly this rose to more than one in five in the over 55s.
Tam Fry, Chairman and Spokesman for the National Obesity Forum, said, “Working together to tackle rising levels of obesity has never been more important.
As the healthiest choice when it comes to staying hydrated, water should always be available next to other soft drinks on the shelf, in the chiller, and in the same packaging.”
Johanna Hignett, Nutritionist and Member of the British Dietetic Association, said, “Natural source waters play an important role in providing a healthy hydration option.
Many people choose them over tap as they prefer the taste or like that they haven’t been chemically treated.”
All-natural source water sold in the UK comes from land that is protected and kept free from pollution through responsible environmental management.
The water is safe to drink at the source without chemical treatment or processing, and it is a legal requirement that it is bottled at the source.
This also helps to preserve the quality and unique properties of the water. Whilst we support all ways to encourage choosing water for healthy hydration, tap water, which needs to undergo treatment to make it safe to drink, cannot replace natural source waters as they are fundamentally two different offerings.
48% of respondents said they preferred drinking natural source waters as they know that they haven’t been chemically treated.
This response was strongest in the West Midlands and North West of England where over 55% of people agreed with that statement.
Overall one in five people said that they did not like the taste of tap water where they live.
These findings, when combined, show that for many people choosing a natural source of water is a positive decision, not just for health, but also either because they appreciate that it is natural or because they prefer the taste.
This research clearly shows the important role natural source waters play, providing an appealing, healthy soft drink option, whether at home or out and about.
Packaging facts:
- All natural source water bottles are 100% recyclable, that includes the cap and label.
- All UK local authorities collect PET plastic drinks bottles for recycling.
- When recycled, a PET plastic drinks bottle can come back as another bottle.
- Drinks companies are increasingly using recycled material in packaging and with the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme, we expect the availability of high quality recycled material to increase, allowing for greater use.