Comparison Between Real and Label Content of Different Bottled Water Brands From Saudi Arabia and Other Countries

Abstract

Bottled water is consumed in many countries of the world to access safe and clean water. Good drinking-water quality of bottled water has high importance for human health, and standards for drinking-water quality have been defined by World Health Organization (WHO) and GCC Standardization Organization (GSO). Deviations from these standards may cause mild to severe health constraints. For consumers, the water composition is indicated on a label attached to the water bottle. Reports about wrong label information were the motivation for a large study of the real content of 20 different bottled water brands from Saudi Arabia in comparison with 19 brands from different countries in Asia, Oceania, Africa, and Europe. The pH, total dissolved salt (TDS) concentration, and concentrations of nine cations and anions are measured to determine for all Saudi and international brands that the water content is conform with the standards for drinking-water quality, confirming that bottled water from all tested brands is safe for consumption. Furthermore, this measured real content agrees for most tested brands with the water content indicated on the bottle labels, proving the labels’ reliability. Statistical analysis also reveals that the drinking-water quality of the Saudi brands is comparable to that of the international brands. Considering the increase in consumption of bottled water, especially in geographic areas where no tap water of drinking-water quality is available, quality control of bottled water becomes essential, aiming for correct information on the bottle label to reliably inform consumers and ensure human health.