| Statistics reveal that more than 50% of | | | | provided in the list only if the laboratory |
| Americans prefer to drink bottled water and | | | | has been certified with the Safe Drinking |
| that from 1988 to 1998, the sales of bottled | | | | Water Act Regulations for testing of water. |
| water tripled to about 4 billion annually. | | | | However, the plant must submit the state or |
| | | | country certification number as well as the |
| Almost all the states require all bottlers | | | | name and address of the laboratory while |
| and distributors of bottled water to obtain a | | | | submitting the application. The leading |
| permit from the concerned department of | | | | brands in the market are the PepsiCo and Coca |
| health and human resources in the office of | | | | cola. Pepsi and Coke each produce a single |
| environmental health services. This is to | | | | bottled water brand in the retail premium PET |
| ensure that the bottled water is from an | | | | segment in the industry. PepsiCo's Aquafina, |
| approved source, which is properly protected, | | | | which is exhaustively filtered with no added |
| is properly labeled about the source, tested | | | | minerals, is considered to be in the number |
| for potential contaminants and inspected to | | | | one position with an increasing number of |
| verify that it is bottled in a sanitary | | | | sales. Coke's Dasani, which has a mineral |
| manner. Bottling plants can be in-state | | | | mix, is a close second in the market. |
| bottling plants or out-of state bottling | | | | Nestlé's Perrier and Danone's Evian follow |
| plants. In-state bottling plants are | | | | close to these two leading brands. Bottled |
| permitted to use any laboratory from the | | | | water provides a safe alternative to tap |
| facilities provided by the department of | | | | water. All different bottled water brands |
| health and human resourced. Alternatively, | | | | offer unique flavors for consumers. |
| they can use an out of state laboratory not | | | | |