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In April 2022, Chlorophyll Water® became the U.S.’s first bottled water company to meet the stringent regulations that would ultimately secure it a Clean Label Project Certification.
What does this mean and why are other organizations falling short?
What Is Clean Label Project Certification?
The Clean Label Project is a national non-profit with the mission to bring truth and transparency to food and consumer product labeling.
While the American public is typically alerted to pathogen and microbiological contaminants in food and consumer products, it is much less common to find information on product labels about industrial and environmental contaminants and toxins, such as heavy metals, pesticides residues, or plasticizers.
The Clean Label Project seeks to change this by awarding certifications to brands that prioritize purity and exceed the minimum requirement standards set by the FDA. The organization tests all products at an ISO-accredited third-party laboratory for more than 90 industrial environmental contaminants.
What’s So Special About Chlorophyll Water?
Unsurprisingly, the key ingredient of Chlorophyll Water — a non-GMO, plant-powered, and purified mountain spring water — is Chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll is thought to provide numerous health benefits including stimulating the oxygen supply to cells, improving liver functionality, balancing out hormones, fighting cravings, increasing the quantity and quality of red blood cells in the body, and making us feel more energized.
Further, the product is distilled and refined via a three-part purification process, which includes a UV treatment for purity and quality.
How Do Bottled Water Companies Achieve Certification?
Several factors might explain why the majority of bottled water companies are falling short of the Clean Label Project’s standards.
While bottled water manufacturers are expected to process and transport their products under sanitary conditions, recalls due to contamination do still occur. Bottled water companies must employ proper manufacturing, shipping, and storage processes, and properly treat their water to prevent contaminations that could cause serious illness, particularly among the immunocompromised.
In addition, the vast majority of bottled water shows signs of microplastic contamination, which is due, in part, to poor packaging processes.
Bottled water is also pretty bad for the environment. A whopping 1,000 people open a bottle of water every second in the U.S., which means that the average American uses 156 plastic bottles every year.
Then there’s the fact that bottled water can be up to 2,000 times the price of tap water. Given that these products are often nothing more than filtered tap water, and many people cannot taste the difference between the two, it’s perhaps not unreasonable that the Clean Label Project is especially discerning when it comes to dishing out certifications.
As to whether it’s generally better for us to be drinking bottled water and not tap water? Well, that depends on a few factors: the kind, or brand, of bottled water consumers are buying, their priorities such as cost, additional flavorings, or convenience, and the quality of tap water in specific regions.
Image Credit: Shark_749 / Shutterstock.com
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