COCA-COLA

Bottled water sold by Coca-Cola is out of the TAP. The drinks giant admitted its “super pure” Dasani water comes from the mains supply to its factory near Peckham. Bottles sell for 95p, which would make TV’s Del Boy proud. A spokeswoman for the National Consumer Council scoffed, “It sounds like the episode from Only Fools And Horses when they sold tap water from what they called the Peckham Spring.” Coca-Cola, slogan It’s The Real Thing, is spending £7million launching Dasani in the UK. It has become the second-biggest selling branded water in the US. Labels on the curvy blue 500ml bottles describe it as “pure, still water.” Bosses insisted that although it is tap water it undergoes special filtering to remove impurities. That enraged Thames Water, which supplies Sidcup in Kent, where the factory is.

A spokesman said its tap water already passes 99.92% of quality tests. The company’s Chris Shipway added, “If the water regulator thought any more treatment was needed they would ask us to do so.” The revelation about Dasani’s source came as research showed bottled water sales in the UK sales rose 16% to almost £1.2billion in 2003. Consumers drank two billion litres. Judith Snyder, brand PR manager for Dasani, confirmed that “municipal” supplies were used. She stressed, “We would never say tap water isn’t drinkable. It’s just that Dasani is as pure as water can get, there are different levels of purity.” Coca-Cola boasts the water undergoes a “highly sophisticated purification process.”

First chlorine is filtered out along with “particles and organic debris”. Then comes a stage called reverse osmosis, a technique said to have been perfected by Nasa to purify fluids on spacecraft. High pressure forces the water through a fine membrane, removing “bacteria, viruses, salts, minerals, sugars, proteins and toxin particles”. Finally calcium, magnesium and sodium bicarbonate are added for taste. Water industry spokesman Barrie Clarke blasted, “We don’t think there are any impurities in tap water. People don’t need to buy this stuff to get excellent quality, healthy water. If they like the bottle, the convenience, the style then fine, but I don’t think that is the way they are marketing this product.”

Coca-Cola had to recall all bottles of its Dasani water in the UK, after levels of bromate were found to exceed legal levels. Coca-Cola said it had consulted the Food Standards Agency, which agreed there were no immediate safety fears. The recall of about 500,000 bottles is expected to be completed in 24 hours. One marketing expert said it could be costly. "It's now going to be next to impossible for Coke to relaunch Dasani in the UK," said Allyson Stewart-Allen of International Marketing Partners. "This is very surprising for a company as careful and deliberate as Coca-Cola, and a blow to the trust they're aiming to build with consumers as well as their strategy to diversify into drinks that can't be linked to obesity, such as water."

The Food Standards Agency describes bromate as "a chemical that could cause an increased cancer risk as a result of long-term exposure, although there is no immediate risk to public health". In a statement, Coca-Cola said the contamination had been initially caused by its regular practice of adding calcium to Dasani, calcium which in this case "did not meet our quality standards". As a result, bromate went on to be formed during the manufacturing processes. "Immediately after we identified this issue we consulted with the Food Standards Agency," said Coca-Cola.

"The FSA has confirmed that there is no immediate health or safety issue. The withdrawal is a precautionary measure." The firm added that the withdrawal only affected Dasani in the UK. The UK limit for bromate in bottled and tap water is 10 parts per billion, while the Dasani samples had tested between 10 and 22 parts per billions, Reuters reported. European tap water limits for bromate are less stringent at 25 parts per billion. Thames Water, which supplies the Dasani factory, said the bromate had absolutely nothing to do with its mains water.

Coca-Cola has shelved plans to put its Dasani bottled water back on the UK market and plans to launch it in France and Germany have also been postponed. A statement from the company said - "Following the voluntary withdrawal in Great Britain of Dasani due to a quality issue, it has decided not to re-introduce Dasani into Great Britain at this time."