Choosing your water is not easy. Large surfaces offer a wide variety of different brands and tap water is often suspected of its quality. However, it has many advantages.
Every year theNielsen institute unveils the best-selling product of the year in supermarkets. Thanks to the study of product sales volumes and turnover, this panelist can rank the favorite products of the French. If the Ricard bottle has long held the top step of the podium, the year 2023 brings something new: it is the pack of six bottles of Cristalline which is the most popular in France. The third step is occupied by the pack of Coca-Cola.
The French are therefore very big consumers of bottled water, a very deep-rooted habit which nevertheless deserves reflection. It now appears that the lobbying of the many French water brands has had an impact in convincing people of a potential better quality in bottled water, as demonstrated by a recent report by theUN on the global bottled water industry.
It is better for health, the environment and purchasing power to drink tap water
However, no study shows that the bottles are superior in quality to the tap. What sets them apart? Half a drop of chlorine per liter of tap water to ensure its microbiological quality according to the Water Information Center. The chlorinated taste of the tap is often pointed out: to get rid of it, just let the water breathe in a fridge for a few hours before consuming it.
In terms of quality, the two waters are at the same level. French regulatory requirements are equivalent for these waters. Be careful, however, for infants and vulnerable people: these categories can only consume water with a low mineral content, such as tap water for example. To avoid the trap, just refer to the packaging. Past the 1000 mg per liter of mineral salt residues, the water is considered to be highly mineralized.
microplastics in the blood
Plastic waste is dangerous for health and the environment. The plastic in water bottles is made from chemical compounds that can have harmful consequences on the human body, more and more studies show that microplastics can be ingested from these water bottles. The one published in International Environment in 2022 highlights it: scientists have found microplastics in human blood. Half of the samples containing a particle present in the composition of plastic bottles.
Moreover, and it should be noted, choosing the bottle will cost you at least 100 times more expensive (and up to 300 times depending on the brand) than using your tap. That of the tap costs on average 0.3 euro cents per liter in France against 30 cents for bottles on average. Question flavor, there are convinced lovers of bottled water, but it is very subjective. The Parisian blind tasted four waters to a great world tea expert: as surprising as it may be, it is tap water that won the ranking ahead of Volvic, Cristaline and Hépar at a disadvantage by its high rate of mineral salts.
Bottled water proponents also target limescale in faucets. But dissolved in water, limestone provides calcium and magnesium which are beneficial to health; for growth and the skeleton in particular. Tap water can provide you with 15 to 20% of your daily calcium and magnesium needs. However, pay attention to the maintenance of your washing machine which will not like a possible excess of limestone.
In France, 98% of the population consumed water of very good microbiological quality all year round in 2020 according to the Point. To check the quality of the water in your municipality, the Ministry of Health publishes its results here.