Consumers Turning To Bottled And Filtered Water For Taste, Quality And Convenience (NAPSA)—Water consumption is up nationwide, according to the Beverage Marketing Association. However, consumers seem to prefer bottled water to their local tap water due to taste and quality concerns. The latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rank- ing shows Chicago at the top of the list when it comes to cities with excellent water quality and taste, while cities like San Francisco, Boston and Phoenix ranked at the bottom. But no matter where you live, more and more consumers are turning to filtered or bottled drink- ing water. In fact, a new study conducted by Mintel found that nearly 40 percent of consumers own a waterfiltration device, and nearly 55 percent purchase bottled water to drink at home. Of the people who own water filters, 64 percent purchased them to improve taste and 62 percent sumers now drink more bottled water annually than any other EPA Water Quality Ranking City Chicago Baltimore Denver Detroit Of Select Cities Manchester Atlanta Houston Los Angeles Newark Philadelphia San Diego Seattle Washington, D.C. Albuquerque Boston Fresno Phoenix San Francisco Source: The Mintel Report Grade Excellent Good Good Good Good Fair Fair Fair Fair Fair Fair Fair Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor @Q weight loss is also causing people to drink more water. increasingly aware of potential con- sumers are drinking up to slim down,” said Rosemary Kimani, owner of fitness club Curves taminants in their drinking water,” said Tom Bruursema, general man- ager of NSF International’s Drinking Water Treatment Units Certifi- cation Program. “As a result, many consumers are looking for home water filtration devices depending on their individual needs.” Growing attention to healthy soft drinks. Last year, Americans drank 7.5 billion gallons of bottled water, which translates into more than 26 gallons per person. Another growing trend—more consumers are finding filtered water from their refrigerator to be an inexpensive and convenient alternative to purchasing bottled water. “We’re seeing quite an increase in water filter sales as related to our side-by-side refrigerator owners. Of those who own waterfilters nationally, 51 percent have a dispenser built into their refrigerator, up from 35 percent in 2008,” said Bryan Aown, Whirlpool brand director of water filtration. “In addition Fair did so because of health concerns. “While the majority of water supplies are safe, consumers are beverage, other than carbonated “Today, more than ever, con- Logan Square in Chicago. “Almost all health and weight-loss programs recommendpeople drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of watera day.” According to the Beverage Marketing Association, U.S. con- to convenience, the growth may be attributed to cost savings. Over its six-month life, a refrigerator water filter processes as much as 200 gallons, which is approximately $0.20 per gallon, when bottled water can cost $6 to $9 a gallon.” Whirlpool brand states most filters are located in the refrigera- tor’s base grill to provide maxi- mum storage space. Additionally, filters cost roughly $40 and only need to be replaced twice a year, resulting in just an $80 annual expense. Other common filters include systems installed in plumbingor faucet attachments.
