All Articles
2012 Articles
- An Improving Environmental Footprint for the Bottled Water Industry
- Strong Performance for UK Bottled Water in 2011
- Venezuela’s President Announces Price Caps on Bottled Water
- Polyethylene terephthalate
- Marathon Rehydration
- Taking Water into the Exam Hall Improves Grades
- Two Thirds of French Children Dehydrated when they get to School
- Marvellous Minerals
- Defining Water: Minerals vs Hydration
- International World Water Day 2012
- Water Quality – The Issue of our Age
- BWCA Golf Day, Conference and Trade Show 2012
- Bottled Water Sales Banned at the Grand Canyon
- New Study into Perceptions amongst Health Professionals of Hydration and its Importance
- New Year’s Greetings
- Smart Water
- Classy Water
- Olympics a Welcome boost to Bottled Water Industry in 2012
- Water Cooler Cannon
- Dehydration in the Elderly
- 60% of Europe’s Spring Water is Found in Romania
- How safe is it to Refill your Plastic Water Bottle? Pt 1 – Bacterial Concerns
- How safe is it to Refill your Plastic Water Bottle? Pt 2 – Chemical Concerns
- The Water Cycle
- Algae
- How Filters Work Pt 1 - Granular Activated Carbon Filtration
- How Filters Work – Pt 2 – Ultraviolet Treatment and Ion Exchange
- How Filters Work. Pt 3 - Microporous Filtration and Reverse Osmosis
2011 Articles
- World Health Organisation Drinking Water Guidelines
- European Commision Drinking Water Directive
- And Finally for Today
- Water Cooler Test for Giant Octopus
- Yate Water Cooler Company Welcomes Local MP in Bid For the UK to Stay Cooler!
- Where’s Cooler? – British Water Cooler Association Competition Aims to Raise Public Awareness
- Introducing the Everest Office Water Cooler
- A Call to Improve Kerbside Plastic Bottle Collection
- The Flavia Creation 400 Brewer – Bringing Café Culture into the Office
- Why it's so important to keep our children hydrated?
- Why Do Ice Cubes Float in Water
- Keep It Light
- Plumbed In Vs Bottled Water coolers (Part 1: Cost and Convenience)
- Plumbed In Vs Bottled Water Coolers (Part 2: Water Quality and Environmental Impact)
- FoodBev.com Awards 2011
- Swindon Named Most ‘Water Conscious’ Town in the UK by Thames Water
- Drinking Water Helps Prevent Diabetes
- Bottled Water Industry denies EFSA hydration claims will affect them
- Top Tips for A Hygienic Water cooler – Pt 1
- Top Tips for A Hygienic Water Cooler – Pt 2
- BWCA Recruits ‘Hydration Heroes’ as part of its Stay Cooler Campaign
- What’s Coming Out of Your Tap
- Water Coolers for the Education System - Free Trial On Water Coolers To Keep Your Pupils Healthy
- Curing the New Year's Party Hangover Pt 1 – Water the Ultimate Elixir
- What’s the Difference Between Spring Water and Mineral Water
2010 Articles
- Pow wow administration
- The official Powwow Rescue Package
- Office Watercoolers are now live on Twitter
- Scientists Create Dry Water!
- Water is Weird!
- Autumn Promotion
- Essential Care of Your Water Cooler
- Essential Care of a Plumbed-in Water Cooler
- How to Choose a Water Cooler Supplier
- How to Choose a Water Cooler
- Fancy a Coffee?
- What are the Different Types of Water
- Why Choose a Member of the British Water Cooler Association
- Our Staff Are Now Criminal Record Bureau Checked
- Office Water Coolers and the Save A Cup Scheme
- Office Water Coolers Waste Policy
- Water Coolers in Schools Evaluation
- The Office Group Expands its Product Range
- Office Water Coolers and the AWS Group
- Drinking Water and Perpetual Youth!
- Bottled Water Vs Tap Water
- How Does a Water Cooler Work?
- How Much Does a Water Cooler Cost
- Water and the Environment - The Industry Speaks
- Getting a Water Cooler is Easy
- Customer Testimonials Mars Flavia
- Water Coolers and Purification
- Do Bottled Water, and Water Coolers, Contribute to Global Warming?
- Bottled vs Plumbed-in Water Coolers - Carbon Footprint Compared
- Which Water Cooler is Best to Install - Bottled or Plumbed-in (POU)?
- Get a Free Flavia Coffee Machine!
- Bottled Water vs Tap Water - Carbon Footprint Compared
- Does the bottled water cooler industry recycle its water bottles?
- Website Improvements
- Case Study: Beverage Service Station
- Introducing the Coolcask
- Introducing the Elite Water Cooler
- Introducing the Blizzard Fountain
- The Supreme Stylish Water Cooler
- Low Cost Water Coolers
- Environmental and sustainable hot and cold beverage supply
- Dealing With Algae in Your Water Cooler
- Hydration and Health
- What is the Drinking Water Inspectorate?
2008 Articles
- Well Being Checks, On The Spot
- Campaign for hydrated meetings!
- Water Helps Prevent Cancer
- Workplace wellbeing: a water-based solution?
- Health and Hydration in the work place
- Office Health, Hydration And Now Hot Drinks
- Environmental Initiative 2009
- Office Watercoolers Carbon Offset Program
- The Dangers of Working Up a Sweat
What’s the Difference Between Spring Water and Mineral Water
05/12/2011 By Peter Brooks
A question we often get asked at Office Water Coolers is what’s the difference between spring water and mineral water. Both terms conjure up images of water that is both pure and natural but it’s unclear as to what, if any, the actual difference is between them. So we thought we’d throw a little light on the subject.
Spring water and mineral water actually share a lot more similarities than they do differences. Both must comply with the legal requirements of the Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water Regulations 1999 within which their technical definitions are officially defined. Both have to come from a natural source that must meet be protected and kept free from pollution. Both must be stable in their chemical and physical composition and satisfy strict microbiological criteria. Both must be bottled at source and fitted with a tamper proof seal.
By law all bottled water must undergo predefined treatment processes such as filtration, to remove grit and dirt. These processes must not alter the composition of the water in anyway. Last but not least, mineral water and spring water must undergo regular tests from a government approved laboratory to ensure continuity of the aforementioned criteria.
So what’s the difference then? Well it’s all down to mineral content really. Although both contain minerals, bottled water can only be sold as ‘mineral water’ if it contains a specified amount of trace minerals as predefined in EEC regulations. These minerals, such as calcium and magnesium which are good for bone health, are often the result of the water travelling through and then over rocks on its journey to the bottling centre.
So what’s the best? Well it’s all really a matter of taste really. Minerals in the water will give the water a distinctive taste that will differ from tap water and tap water that has undergone a filtration process. The most important thing to us is that everyone drinks enough of it regularly to keep hydrated.
At Office Water Coolers we use Fillongley Pure Spring Water which is drawn from aquifers deep underground below our bottling centre and does not bottle a blend of waters. We love our water, that’s why we’ve made a point of selecting the best water we could find from local springs. We’re pretty confident you’ll love it too.
Why not try it yourself if you don’t believe us. Click here for a free bottled water cooler trial.
© 2012 Office Water Coolers
Recent Articles
An Improving Environmental Footprint for the Bottled Water Industry
Consider this; recycling a single large plastic bottle (made
from PET) conserves enough energy to light a 60 watt bulb for 6 hours. The National
Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) reported that in 2010 1.5
billion pounds of PET was recycled in America.
Recycled PET (rPET) can be made into all sorts of things like car parts,
playground equipment, carpet or even clothing.
Now consider this; in America (and I daresay the figures are
not that dissimilar in the UK) plastic bottles ...
read more
Strong Performance for UK Bottled Water in 2011
Good news for the bottled water industry as it reports a 2.8%
increase in sales in 2011 (1.8 billion litres). As an industry that employs two
thousand people it is good news in these economically trying times as the UK officially
enters a double dip recession. So with unemployment remaining high and when
people are cutting back on so much, saving their pennies, why does the bottled
water industry grow when compared to 2010.
Well it seems there are a lot of other factors at play.
UK households ...
read more
Venezuela’s President Announces Price Caps on Bottled Water
Flamboyant Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, has started
announcing more price caps as part of his government’s Law of Fair Prices,
passed back in November 2011. The law was designed to limit what is seen as
excessive profiteering on 19 household goods and groceries but is now being
expanded as the government announce new prices for different products and it is
starting with bottled water and deodorant.
The books of over 16,000 companies have been examined by
the Venezuelan government so far ...
read more
Polyethylene terephthalate
What is polyethylene terephthalate? Well chances are you’ve
encountered it already today if you’ve swigged from a bottle of water or any of
a whole range of bottled drinks. Abbreviated to PET, polyethylene terephthalate
is probably most associated with the packaging for plastic bottles due to its
properties as an excellent and durable barrier material. The thermoplastic
polymer is part of the polyester family and can exist in both amorphous
(transparent) and as a semicrystalline polymer which ...
read more
