The most delicious bottled water. Comparison of drinking water producers

Given the great response to past publications, we decided to continue a series of articles that are somehow related to the subject of the drinking bottled water market in Russian cities. In this informational review we will examine the question of the rating of drinking water in the city of Moscow and the Moscow region, the most huge market of Russia, and we will begin with such a segment as water packaging in 19 liter bottles. As a rule, companies deliver it directly to apartments, offices, as well as this water can be purchased at large chain stores like Auchan, Metro, Globus and others like them, often such products can be found at gas stations.

We will not bore our subscribers with a detailed description of all of our actions, as some journalist graf-lovers love. Just know, it took us about 6 months of hard work and several dozen experiments to prepare the material. And so, to the point.

Below we present the official data of several non-profit organizations specializing in the control of drinking water quality. The figures were obtained by interviewing respondents, according to the results of anonymous questionnaires made by them on the basis of a detailed physicochemical analysis of samples in accordance with GOST. The voting also took into account the fact of the least treatment of consumers and complaints about the quality of a particular product as a whole.

In the quality survey, the following organizations were accepted (non-commercial *):
   - "Rospotrebnadzor";
   - “NK Russian control”;
   - OSPBV (branch of the union of manufacturers, Moscow);
   - Union of Consumer Protection (Moscow);
   - Rossminprom (RF JV).

Please note that the survey was conducted anonymously in order to exclude manufacturers' manipulations to extract commercial interests.
   The analysis involved the most popular brands in Moscow and the Moscow region, with the name of products falling under the classification of “bottled water of 19 liters” (comma-separated, according to alphabetical order):

AVK Water, AquaAreal, Amelia, Aqualider, Abago, Arkhyzik, Aqua Donbai, Arkhyz, Aquaideal, Aqua Fleet, Alphabet of Water, Aquara, Alexandrovsky Key, Bar's Keys, Butylkof, Biovita, Bourgeois, Magic Water, Vera, Baikal Wave, Water Online, Mountain summit, Dear Muscovites, Valley of Apple Trees, Darzakh, Yerinskaya, United, Pearl of the Caucasus, Healthy Water, Kara-Su, Kubai, Karachay, Kings Water, Mountain Legend, Bear Land, Novoterskaya, Nestle, Our Water, Real Water, Oxy, Pilgrim, Pavlovsk springs, Senezhskaya, Holy Spring, Senezhskaya, Sofia Glacier, Sa Ntalov source, Element of life, Holy source, Staro-Mytishchi source, Salkovskaya, Semerik, Slavnitsa (var), Make the world kinder, Color well, Khvalovskaya, Uvinskaya pearl, Filimonovsky source, Chernogolovskaya, Shishkin forest, School child, Enea, Elbrusinka, Eden 19 liters.

After analyzing the data and verifying all the original figures, we obtained a bottled water rating for the coolers, where the places were placed alternately, according to aggregate quality criteria. The format of our article does not physically allow us to lay out the list completely, so we decided to name only the top ten best samples.

1. Water "Santalovsky spring" 19 liters.
2. Water "Ulanskaya" 19 liters.
3. Water "Arkhyz" 19 liters.
4. Water "Holy Spring" 19 liters.
5. Water "Karachay" 19 liters.
6. Water "Senezhskaya" 19 liters.
7. Water "Aleksinskaya" 19 liters.
8. Water "Semiruche" 19 liters.
9. Water "Bar keys" 19 liters.
10. Water "Mountain Elite" 19 liters.

* You can see the full list and transcript of analyzes by going to the portal of water suppliers for the cooler at the link: the official delivery of water Arkhyz.

The names are different, but the source is one. What are we overpaying for?

In the same way as we entered our small research, we received very curious incidental conclusions from the inspection organizations. The data obtained indicate that some brands of drinking water are completely identical to each other, that is, in fact it is the same water under different names. For example, the water "Aquaflot" 19 liters, "United", "The Alphabet of Water", "Pavlovsk Springs", "Bourgeois", "AquaAreal", "Eneya", "Slavnitsa", and "AVK", with a probability of 99% , obtained from the same source, as they say, poured from "one barrel", or rather the source which is located directly in Moscow.

A similar situation was discovered with other brands from the list under review. So, for example, the “Mountain Top” water of 19 liters and the Legend of the Mountains water 19 liters completely coincide with each other both with compositions and other organoleptic properties, being essentially one product under different names and the “Legend of the Mountains” water differ from “ Mountain Peaks "only an additional markup of 20%.

Drinking water "Glavvoda 19 liters" actually bottled in the suburbs and is drinking water "Semerik" which was called a new way, and in contrast to the water itself Semerik, water "GLAVVODA" 19 liters is 15-20% more expensive, it turns out that overpayment just goes behind the label.

We will definitely return to this issue in our next publications and will try to highlight the problem of price manipulation as much as possible by deliberately misleading buyers.

But we received the most interesting conclusion on drinking water from Nestle Pure Life 19 liters, after renaming it is called “Eden” 19 liters: all experts unanimously claim that this water was obtained from the central water supply system with subsequent conditioning by salt composition . This directly indicates the artificial origin of the composition of water.

There is also positive news: with the help of these tests, we managed to destroy and dispel the common myth that supposedly all the "Caucasian" water is poured in the basements of the Moscow region, and not transported from the Caucasus. Now we have every reason to assert with 100% confidence that everyone’s favorite Arkhyz water of 19 liters is extracted in the North Caucasus: its mineral composition, physico-chemical and organoleptic indicators correspond to the declared mining region. All the same applies to other tested samples of mountain waters: “Sofia Glacier”, “Mountain Peak” and “Piligrim” water with their micro-chemical compositions completely coincide with water, which can be obtained exclusively in the region of Teberdinsky Biosphere Reserve.

For clarification of all indicators, figures and ratings, we decided to contact the representatives of the companies included in our rating and among the leaders of the Moscow bottled water market: LLC Vodokhleb, LLC Arkhyz, LLC Vodovoz, LLC Top Vater . These comments will be the subject of our next articles, research and investigations. In the near future, we will prepare new materials, from which you can learn how not to get caught on the marketing tricks of drinking water producers, we will answer the questions what kind of mountain water and what kind of water is better to choose for permanent use in home, at home and in the office . All the best to you, follow our publications.

Water quality rating - drinking water from major manufacturers will help you to draw conclusions and the quality of the liquid to drink, which will allow you to maintain and improve your health. In addition, you will learn about the features of the production and composition of bottled water. Varieties of mineral and purified waters. How to distinguish a fake? Water quality rating - drinking water from major manufacturers will help you figure out which water is best to drink regularly, and what bottled water is better not to buy.

About water and manufacturers

Due to the low quality of drinking tap water, people in our country who care about their health tend to use bottled or mineral water for regular drinking. At the same time, even those who are lucky in a region with good tap water, increasingly refuse to use it regularly due to a persistent decline in quality. Therefore, many people in our country drink purified bottled water and cook on it.

As for the mineral water, its regular use will not only help to preserve health, but also significantly improve it, because the composition of such waters includes an extensive complex of mineral components necessary for our body. Today, the production of drinking bottled and mineral water is made not only by large trading concerns of world renown, but also by small private companies.

In this regard, a lot of fakes. And to put it mildly, such water not only will not be useful, but also can harm our health. Hopefully our drinking water quality rating will help you choose suitable and useful water.

On the composition of bottled drinking water

In the Russian Federation, a simplified classification scale for bottled water is used:

• Purified drinking water
• Natural mineral water
• Artificial mineral water

Water extracted from clean underground sources with a natural complex of dissolved minerals is called a natural mineral. Moreover, in our country such water is also divided into several subspecies:

• healing
• medical dining room
• dining room

The first two types should not be used regularly, but on the recommendation of a doctor. But the table mineral water can be used as drinking water. The level of minerals in it must be at least 1 g / l. The main producers of such water in our country are “Silver dew” and “Sarov”.

The amount of minerals in the medical-table water should be in the range of 1-10 hl. Such waters include Essentuki-4, Borzhomi and Narzan. The concentration of dissolved minerals in medicinal water should be 10-15 g / l. These are the waters of Essentuki-17 and Lysogorskaya.

Purified drinking water is ordinary water, thoroughly purified from various impurities and harmful components. Such artificially purified water is packaged in bottles and can be used for regular drinking. The first type of such waters was released in 1994 and was called "Holy Spring". In the late 90s, such well-known brands as Aqua Minerale and Bon Aqua appeared. Then came a large number of local producers.

Water quality rating

The number of water species and their producers is increasing every year. So, in the early 90s there were about 200 types of drinking and mineral water in bottles, and in the mid-90s there were already 500. Today, there are about 700 water names registered, with a hundred of them being produced in the north of the Caucasus.

The most popular water, which accounts for about half of all sales, is Georgian water. Among them are such well-known brands as Borjomi, Essentuki and Narzan. At the same time Borjomi is clearly leading.

According to the results of analyzes of various studies, the leading manufacturers in the market of natural mineral and purified waters are:

• "Holy spring"
• "Borjomi"
• "Narzan"
• "Aqua Minerale"
• "Bon Aqua"

• GG & MW Co. N.V. from the manufacturer Borjomi
• Nestle Waters from the manufacturer of the Holy Source
• "Kavminvody"

• biba water
• "Mercury"
• "Avka"
• "Raifsky source"

Researchers drinking water do not exclude a large increase in the range of products on the market of natural mineral and purified waters. At the same time on the market there are a large number of firms producing fakes. Such water is practically no different from ordinary tap water. But how to distinguish such manufacturers?

How to distinguish low-quality water?

Of course, you cannot open and try the water in the store, but some conclusions about the quality of drinking or mineral water can be drawn from its appearance:

1. Carefully read the label on the bottle. A bona fide manufacturer specifies detailed information on the chemical components of the liquid, specifies the category of water, describes the source where the liquid was taken. Also on the label must be present registration data.
2. Pay attention to the design of the bottle and label. Typically, manufacturers of fakes do not work for a long time on the market, so do not particularly worry about the appearance and design of packaging and stickers. Goods of reliable reliable manufacturers of high quality are usually packed in a beautiful container with logos, and the cover and label are beautifully decorated.
3. To minimize the risk of buying a fake purchase goods in large retail outlets. Typically, the owners of such stores buy goods only from trusted suppliers.

If you doubt the quality of drinking water from a bottle, you can always order a water analysis and check it for all indicators. Such an analysis can be ordered in our laboratory. To do this, you need to contact the manager at the specified phone number. During a call, you can find out the cost of such a check, which depends on the number of analyzed indicators.

More and more people lately use bottled water for drinking and cooking. The reason is that in some regions the quality of water from a water supply system leaves much to be desired, and in others people are worried about the dangers of chlorine and possible impurities. Bottled water is now widely available - it is supplied to the Russian shelves of about 700 manufacturers.

However, such a large variety causes problems. Increases the risk of acquiring a fake, low-quality goods.

Drinking bottled water rating: how to understand

Before analyzing the proposals of different manufacturers, it is necessary to understand that three basic types of drinking water are sold in bottles: simple purified, natural mineral water and artificially.

Purified water is just fresh water. Delivered from any harmful impurities. It is used for regular use and cooking. Mineral water is divided into the dining room, medical-dining and medical.

Medicated water is not intended for regular drinking. It is used as prescribed by the doctor in limited quantities. The most famous types of it in Russia are “Lysogorskaya”, “Essentuki-17”.

Medical table water differs from medicinal lower concentration of minerals. The most famous brands are of Georgian origin: Narzan, Borjomi, Essentuki-4. But it is also better not to abuse these waters.

Table mineral water can be drunk regularly, since the salt concentration in it is very low. Its most famous brands are Sarov and Silver Dew.

Simple purified water is produced by many firms. The most common are the "Holy Source", "Bon Aqua", "Aqua Minerale".

Within each group, it is also possible to form a bottled water rating.

Best bottled drinking water: rating

Among all manufacturers of medicinal and table mineral water and purified waters, Georgian is currently leading. However, domestic firms occupy a worthy place there.

1. "Holy spring"
2. "Borjomi"
3. "Narzan"
4. "Santalovsky source"
5. "Bon Aqua".

However, not all manufacturers that are not included in this top five are not credible. In the middle of the bottled water ranking the following companies were located:

• GG & MW Co. N.V (from Borjomi);
• Nestle Waters (from Sacred Spring);
• "Kavminvody".
• OAO NPO "Ulanskaya"

There are the last ones on the list, which one should hardly prefer to those who really care about their health:

• biba firm;
• ulan water
• "Mercury";
• Avka;
• "Raifsky source."

Fake bottled water rating

It is clear that dishonest manufacturers, who have no relation to respectable firms, often try to cling to the leaders. A fake can be recognized if you make a purchase carefully.

Suspicion should cause grubby bottle and label. Reputable companies that hold the first places in the ranking of drinking bottled water, care about aesthetics.

You should also examine the information on the label. If there is very little of it, this is a reason for suspicion, especially when it comes to mineral water.

Finally, it is better to buy water in large shopping centers. They make purchases in large quantities and deal only with trusted vendors.

Sometimes you can contact the laboratory for quality control.

If you use the available information about the rating of bottled water and follow the simple rules of protection against fakes, you can not be afraid that the water will bring harm.

Despite the fact that the market for production and sales is large enough, today there is no objective scientific research, based on which one could make a rating of the quality of bottled water. And although it is possible to find ratings on various sites, for the most part they are based on data that cannot be verified. As a result, it is better not to blindly trust the compilers of these ratings, but to study the composition of the water and other data to make the right decision. Onak, no one bothers you to create your own personal rating of bottled water, based on your own preferences.

We all know from the school geography course that there is much more water on Earth than land. But the problem is that its mass is based on the salty water of the seas and oceans, which is suitable only for its indigenous inhabitants - fish, whales, dolphins, etc. A person needs fresh water to live. Until recently, we were sure that it is quite enough on our planet, and from thirst to die, it is possible only in the Sahara desert. No wonder there was a well-known saying: “Just how to drink to drink.”

But the twentieth century, with its rapid development of technical progress, made its disappointing changes, and now we increasingly hear that ordinary water will very soon become for humanity not just vital, but the most important strategic resource - much more necessary than the notorious oil and gas. , gold and diamonds. And this is quite understandable: a man lived for thousands of years without oil and gas, it’s not too difficult to do without gold and diamonds, but drinking water is on the second place after the air in the rating of things necessary for life. Alas, thanks to the same unfortunate technical progress, which people so admired a hundred years ago - from the historical point of view, this period of time is negligible - its reserves are noticeably depleted, and the quality has become frighteningly low.

What kind of water do we drink?

To once again make sure of this, you do not need to go far, just open the water tap in your kitchen or bathroom. Very often, the liquid flowing from there in appearance and smell reminds anything, but not water, and we become frightened at the thought that it is necessary to drink it, or to cook food from it. Of course, drinking water is being treated at special facilities, but what is the cost of cleaning with the help of the well-known chlorination? You do not need to have a degree in biology to figure out that cheap and affordable bleach is not the most useful substance for our internal organs: you just need to smell it. Getting rid of, as it were, with its help from the immediate risk of catching an infection, we ruin our health in perspective.

In addition, after saturation with chlorine, water goes to our apartments through a water supply system, often laid more than a decade ago, whose condition leaves much to be desired - and this is an understatement. There, she, among other things, is also saturated with rust, and rust is not the same iron, about the benefits of which the doctors have always told us. Thus, the amount of maximum permissible concentration of harmful substances in it is on the verge of this very limit.

How effective are water filters?

Many of the city dwellers, trying to improve the situation somehow, are installing household filters for water purification on the internal plumbing pipes - in the last decade this product has become extremely popular among the inhabitants of megalopolises, including Muscovites. Such filters are really able to correct the situation, but only slightly, and only for a while. Sometimes the degree of contamination of tap water is so great that it is simply impossible to achieve its high-quality purification using conventional filtration: what can household filters do where industrial filters are powerless?

The cassettes of these filters very quickly fail, and they must be constantly changed, otherwise the reverse process will begin: the dirt from the overflowed filters will fall back into the water passing through them, making it even dirtier. In this situation, there is only one way out: to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking. In the trade network, the choice of such water is now unusually rich, and to figure out which of the offered brands deserves the most consumer confidence, it is worth looking at the rating of drinking bottled water.

Selection of bottled water

First, let's try to figure out what water is on the shelves of grocery supermarkets. All drinking water must fully comply with the sanitary standards and state standards. Otherwise, it simply does not go on sale. In the trading floors there are two types of it: mineral and simple drinking. In addition, it is still carbonated and non-carbonated. The mineral water is also divided into a dining room, intended for drinking healthy people, and healing, containing substances that are useful for certain ailments of internal organs. It can be natural, extracted from natural mineral sources, or artificially saturated with elements of the Periodic Table in special settings.

If you are interested in a lot of drinking water, then you might be interested in buying.

If you choose drinking water, then you will be interested to read the article about what kind of water is most beneficial to health for this.

And for the correct selection of the best water for the cooler, you will be interested to get acquainted with this.

As it should be, everything artificial is not at all what is natural, and if we have a choice, we always give preference to the latter. But how to distinguish natural mineral water from synthetic? First of all, on the label: it must necessarily indicate the place of production, the number of the well and other data confirming its natural origin. Secondly, at the price: the natural product has it, by itself, higher than that of the artificial product: after all, to extract water from a well or water supply system - as they say, two big differences. Therefore, expressed by A.S. Pushkin in his fairy tale, the thought of the dangers of pursuing cheapness is also valid in this case. When thinking about whether to buy something that is cheaper, or what is more expensive, it is worth remembering not only how your choice will affect your wallet, but also how it will affect your body.

Now - about drinking water. Of course, mineral water is also intended for drinking, but you shouldn’t use it on a daily basis; ordinary table water is better suited for this purpose. Yes, and brew tea, as well as prepare food, preferably in plain fresh water. It seems that it’s not necessary to say that you should not try cooking borscht on soda. Mineral substances in varying degrees are present in all types of water, just in mineral water, their concentration is much higher, and it is hardly reasonable to use it in large quantities.

In the end, the task of water is not only to saturate our cells with life-giving moisture, but also to dissolve and remove various slags and excess salts from them. Plain water certainly does this much better than mineral water. But what kind of water is it? In principle, as well as in the case of mineral, the following options are possible: purified water supply, or extracted from artesian wells drilled deep into the earth.

Methods for purifying drinking water

For cleaning the first two methods are used:

• Reverse osmosisconsisting in passing through several membranes with microscopic holes capable of retaining any impurities;
• Coagulation, in which special coagulants are added to the water, causing impurities to precipitate, which is then removed.

The first method, quite expensive, allows you to purify water almost one hundred percent. All would be nothing if it were not for one “but”: together with harmful impurities, useful substances leave it, and it turns into distilled. Once in the body, such water begins to take away these substances from it, being saturated to the desired level, and then removes them. To avoid such an effect, manufacturers have to artificially saturate it with the necessary salts and minerals after osmosis, and such procedures do not have the best effect on its quality.

Coagulation is the easiest and cheapest cleaning method that manufacturers use in 70% of cases, as far as its quality is concerned - history, as they say, is silent about it.

After all this, it becomes clear that, as in the case of mineral water, the natural option, of course, is preferable. It is this drinking water, extracted from artesian wells from a great depth, that our company Cheremis supplies to its customers - residents of the metropolitan metropolis. In the ranking of bottled water, it is at the top of the list, because it fully meets all the necessary requirements, does not need additional purification, and can be used both for drinking and cooking, as well as for use in coolers, which you can.

In countries where the problem of drinking water is particularly hard, it is produced from sea water. This video shows the entire production process:

Terms of cooperation with our company

We deliver water to home or office addresses of customers in the most suitable container for this - plastic containers with a capacity of 5 gallons (or 19 liters, which is one and the same, but it sounds much more familiar and clearer). Such a bottle is enough for a sufficiently long period of time, and at a cost its acquisition is much more profitable than an equal in quantity quantity of “one and a half” or five-liter ones. And if a client enters into a contract with us for the systematic supply of drinking water, it costs him even less. We are convinced that our bottled water is 19 liters, the rating of which is growing due to the feedback from customers, is worth it to arrange such an agreement. The ratio of quality and price of water supplied by us is one of the best in the region, everyone who manages to try it is convinced of this.

Our company offers two types of bottled water:

• « Mari source"- Premium natural water with an excellent mineral composition, which is ideal for everyday use;
• « Elite"- Purified drinking water. Rigidity and mineral composition fully complies with national and international standards.

It is known that, for proper metabolism and normal functioning of the body, an adult should drink from 2 to 3 liters of water per day. Information about the quality of tap water completely discourages the desire to comply with this recommendation, therefore, more and more Russians prefer water in bottles.

19 liters of health

Making the right choice among companies offering bottled water is not so easy. Manufacturers compete fiercely with each other, so they often go for marketing tricks. Under the beautiful label often hides ordinary tap water that has undergone a deep cleaning process. If there is no information about the origin of water, then most likely water is not natural, and the necessary content of trace elements and minerals is achieved by technologies using various physicochemical methods.

Dozens of companies engaged in the production and sale of bottled water are operating in the St. Petersburg market. Prices vary in a very wide range - from 150 rubles per bottle (drinking water “Sosnovskaya Tsaritsa”) to 610 rubles per bottle (water “Key Premium”, Polustrovo). At the same time, it should be understood that cheap water, as a rule, is purified tap water. And for example, the artesian physiologically complete drinking water “Aqualine Natural Premium” in a high-quality polycarbonate container costs only 250 rubles per bottle. For an objective rating water in St. Petersburg   In the bottles, reliable data are needed on the results of independent examinations, which are carried out either at the request of the manufacturer or according to consumer complaints, therefore such information is simply not available for most trademarks. However, in the thematic forums and review sites you can find a lot of useful information, on the basis of which to form a consumer rating of water in bottles of 19 liters.

Given the ratio of prices, service, information content of the label and the number of reviews, the TOP-5 rating of drinking water in St. Petersburg is as follows *:

1. Artesian water Aqualine
2. Mineral water Arkhyz
3. Drinking water deep cleaning Nestle
4. Artesian water Spring Edge
5. Water Rosinka Polustrovo

The quality of water in bottles of 19 liters is significantly influenced by the process of preparing and washing containers. No matter how clean the water from the artesian well is, poor-quality handling of returnable containers can cause serious microbiological contamination. And the key factor in this issue is the container itself, or rather the material from which it is made. The most common because of its cheapness is PET packaging (if the packaging is dark blue, then it is PET exactly). But the best option is polycarbonate packaging (artificial glass substitute). Polycarbonate packaging is many times more expensive than PET, but it is absolutely safe and able to withstand the most thorough sanitary treatment, unlike PET packaging, which loses its consumer properties after only a few turns.