IBWA SUPPORTS CONSUMER ACCESS TO HEALTHY CHOICES IN AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARKS - 0 views
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anonymous on 18 Aug 17The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) today issued the following statement concerning attempts to restrict consumer access to bottled water in America's national parks. "Efforts to eliminate or reduce access to bottled water in our national parks will force consumers to choose less healthy drink options that have more packaging, more additives (e.g., sugar, caffeine), and greater environmental impacts than bottled water. In fact, research shows that if bottled water isn't available, 63 percent of people will choose soda or another sugared drink - not tap water. We expect the same consumer response if access to bottled water is restricted in our national parks. And such a response will therefore not likely reduce the presence of plastic bottles within the recycling streams of our national parks. The Healthy Consumer Choice In today's on-the-go society, most of what we drink comes in a package. Consumers choose bottled water for several reasons, including its refreshing taste, reliable quality, zero calories and additives, and convenience. In fact, since 1998, approximately 73 percent of the growth in bottled water consumption has come from people switching from carbonated soft drinks, juices, and milk to bottled water. Banning or restricting access to bottled water in the marketplace, including within national parks, directly impacts the right of people to choose the healthiest beverage on the shelf. And for many, bottled water is a critical alternative to other packaged beverages, which are often less healthy. Bottled water must therefore be available wherever packaged beverages are sold. According to the Institute of Medicine and the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, two-thirds of American adults are overweight with one-third of those individuals being obese and over the last 30 years, children's obesity rates have climbed from 5 percent to 17 percent. Drinking zero-calorie beverages, such as water, instead of sugary dri
