Vitamin Water: Friend or Foe?

We've been long frustrated that many people believe they can substitute a healthy nutritional diet for vitamin-enriched water. Now CHOICE, the independent community interest watchdog, is advising consumers not to buy into the hype saying vitamin-enriched waters are "essentially expensive lolly waters with hyperventilated health claims."

According to a release issued by CHOICE, some of the drinks, which go by names such as 'Nutrient Water', 'Smart Water' and 'Vitamin Water' and retail for between $2.50 and $4.00, contain enough sugar in one 500ml bottle to provide the average woman with a third of her recommended daily intake.

CHOICE spokesperson Ingrid Just says it's time to get tough on potentially misleading promotions and labelling such as 'nature approved ingredients' and 'natural flavours' which mean nothing.

"This type of labelling creates the impression that the drinks can be used as a safety net for a poor lifestyle when grabbing an apple and a glass of water will provide you with far more nutrients for a fraction of the cost," Ingrid says.

When CHOICE complained to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in 2008 that Coca Cola Amatil's Glaceau Vitamin Water made a mockery of food labeling laws, the complaint was rejected. Since that time the market has been flooded with similar products.

"It's time to take another look at the way vitamin enhanced waters are being marketed; these drinks are leading consumers up an imaginary garden path to health and vitality," Ingrid says. "Treat them like any other sugary or artificial drink; enjoy occasionally, not as a means to any kind of wellbeing whatever the label or pretty pictures might suggest.”

Our advice? Steer clear of packaged drinks and get your water from the tap. Make sure you always take a bottle of water out with you, but use a BPA-free bottle!