Mineral Water vs Packaged Drinking Water. Which is better?

Most of us order mineral water at the shop or restaurant. But we get packaged drinking water in the name of that. It is also known as bottled water. We don’t even know that they ordered different water because we don’t know the difference between them. So here we are going to discuss the basic difference between them.

Before we get into deep we need to understand the basic definition of them which will help us to differentiate them very easily.

Mineral Water

It is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases.

Packaged drinking water or Bottled water

Bottled water is drinking water (e.g., well, distilled, mineral, or spring water) packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not. Sizes range from small single serving bottles to large carboys for water coolers.

By the definition, we can understand that Mineral water comes from natural sources like wells, pure and rich in minerals. Unlike tap water that receives different treatments before human consumption, it is bottled directly from the source, without adding any chemical elements. It only goes through a physical process of filtration to ensure maximum purity. Whereas, Packaged drinking water uses water from any source which has to be treated and disinfected, a process that could involve filtration, UV or ozone treatment, or reverse osmosis (RO) before it is fit for human consumption.

How to identify?

We all know there are many brands offering mineral and packaged drinking water but don’t know how to identify.

For every product, BIS(Bureau of Indian Standards) have set a particular code. The code for mineral water is IS: 13428 and for packaged drinking or bottled water is IS: 14543. No one needs to remember the full code. Just remember the starting code i.e 13 or 14. If the code starts with 14 then its mineral water and if starts with 13 then its other one.

So whenever you buy mineral water make sure you are getting the right one, not the packaged water.

Thank you!!!

Also read: Why It Is Necessary To Drink Water Before Ultrasonography ?