Bottled water weighs in as bans start to trickle

By: Andy Morton - 21 January 2013 17:00

Energy drinks are facing increased scrutiny and the Coca-Cola Co has aired an advert tackling obesity - but will 2013 come to be known as the year critics turn on bottled water?

Earlier this month, a town in Massachusetts banned the sale of bottled water in containers smaller than one litre, while last week news broke that the University of Vermont has outlawed all on-campus water bottle sales.

The bans are for environmental reasons, and in places like UVM - fiercely proud of its natural habit - not especially surprising. But could this trend spread?

The US-based International Bottled Water Association has already hit back, saying the bans “are not in the public interest”, especially with the country facing a rise in the number of overweight people.

Interesting to note that while one sector of the beverage industry is being attacked with the obesity issue, another uses it as a defence.