Coke 'pure' water claim questioned
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Dasani's source is London tap water.
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Coca-Cola is being investigated by British officials over its use of the word 'pure' on bottles of Dasani water.
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LONDON, England -- The Coca-Cola Co. is being investigated by trading standards officials in Britain over the use of the word "pure" on bottles of Dasani water.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has contacted the local authority covering Coca-Cola's headquarters in west London, asking it to look into whether the term breaches labeling guidelines.
It emerged this week that the source for Dasani, which launched in the UK last month, was tap water supplied to Coca-Cola's factory in southeast London.
The soft drink giant says a "highly sophisticated purification process" removes any impurities, such as "bacteria, viruses, salts, minerals, sugars, proteins and toxin particles."
But tap water suppliers maintain that what comes out of the water mains is perfectly fine to drink -- and good value compared with Dasani, which sells for up to 95 pence ($1.74) for a 500 ml bottle. Dasani's labels say it is "pure, still water."
The FSA said it appeared Dasani broke guidelines designed to protect shoppers from misleading marketing.
"This bottled water does not appear to follow our labeling guidance on the use of the term 'pure,' but it does seem to comply with legislation about what can be sold as bottled water," a spokesman told the UK Press Association.
"The FSA will be asking the London Borough of Hillingdon, the local authority where Coca-Cola's UK headquarters are based, to investigate the company's use of the term 'pure.'
"Consumers may not realize that there are three types of water sold in bottles -- natural mineral water, spring water and drinking water (which can be tap water).
"If a product is not labeled as mineral water or spring water, it will, in fact, be bottled drinking water."
The FSA's guidance from July 2002 states the term "pure" should only apply to "single ingredient foods or to highlight the quality of ingredients."
Dasani takes tap water and removes material through purification and then adds calcium, magnesium and sodium bicarbonate for taste.
Coke said the filtration process is highly sophisticated and was perfected by NASA to purify fluids on spacecraft.
The company uses the same system for the Dasani water it has sold in the United States since 1999. Dasani is the second-best seller in the U.S. bottled water market, behind a similar purified water product -- Aquafina -- made by Pepsi-Cola Co.
Coke said it was confident it was abiding by British rules.
"We work closely with all regulatory bodies and in this instance we are fully satisfied that we are compliant with all guidelines and regulations," the company said in a statement.
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
