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5/18/2026
 Got water questions? Give us a call at 877-52-WATER (877-529-2837), or email us at info@wtny.us
May 18, 2026 226 pm EDT
Thirsty humans choose bottled water over soda pop, 9 years running. Consumers want to know, where this water comes from, how quality is assured and how bottled water supports a healthy lifestyle. Here is what we learned.
Though sometimes regarded as competing with tap water, bottled water actually achieved its position as the biggest beverage category by enticing consumers away from other packaged beverages. Some consumers may have transitioned away from regular, full-calorie sodas in favor of their diet (or "zero-sugar") iterations, but many others opted for bottled water instead. And as some consumers grew leery of artificial sweeteners, they moved away from diet sodas as well as regular versions.
- John G. Rodwan, Jr. Editorial Director Beverage Marketing Corporation
Bottled water beat soft drinks for the ninth consecutive year, with demand plodding ahead steady, up 2.9% over the prior year. The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) digital journal reports Americans spent over $50 billion to purchase 16.4 billion gallons of bottled water in 2024, averaging 47 gallons per person (compare with soda at 34 gallons). Approximately 70% of the bottled water purchases were taken in single serving PET bottles, with other formats and packaging, including the bulk refillable jugs and packaged caselots making up the difference. The vast majority, 90% of retail packaged water was picked up at grocery, convenience and/or club stores, supermarkets and vending machines. Home and office delivery (HOD) accounts for the remaining 10% of the market.
IBWA is the industry's representative body, advocating for healthier choices in the beverage market. Research and trends tracked by the Beverage Marketing Corporation populate industry statistics every year, offering a great deal of information and insight for the public. According to IBWA spokesperson Jill Culora, bottled water surpassed soft drinks in terms of volume sold for the first time in 2016, and has been ahead of soda every year since. Culora said, "Helping people make healthier choices is at the core of the bottled water business. Consumers have made it clear that there's a demand for safe, healthy, and convenient bottled water."
America's favorite water brands are available in a variety of packaging size formats and container materials. Most common is the PET bottle, (polyethylene terephthalate), approved as safe for contact with foods and beverages by the FDA, Health Canada and other health authorities. The PET water bottle is lighter weight than the comparable volume bottle required for carbonated beverages, lending to a relatively smaller carbon footprint for single serve bottled water. Premium brands are available in glass bottles, aluminum cans or leak-proof bags inside cardboard boxes. For those willing to pay the higher price, B Lab is a non-profit group that rates companies meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Premium packaged water brands certified by B Lab include Proud Source Spring Water .
See WT article on the most exclusive bottled waters, LOOK OUT MICHELIN CHEFS-The "Water Master" is coming around to test your imagination, here.
"Bottled water's zero-calorie status and its lack of artificial ingredients appeal to many consumers. Even where tap water may be safe and readily available, people may prefer bottled water. The availability of packaged water wherever beverages are sold also differentiates bottled water from tap."
IBWA press statement, May 2025
Growth of the bottled water industry, from then to now
Cott Beverage Corporation was established in Canada in 1923, becoming one of the world's largest producers of packaged beverages for private labelling. Cott's production facilities in Canada, the USA, Mexico and the United Kingdom once supplied soft drinks, juices, clear, still and sparkling waters, energy drinks and alcoholic beverages to private brand owners and distributors. Under the leadership of prolific international executive operator Jerry Fowden, Cott set out to acquire the major home and office delivery (HOD) water and coffee services. Beginning its merger and acquisition campain in 2014, Cott acquired DS Services for $1.25 billion. In 2020, Cott acquired US beverage giant, the Primo Water Corporation, for $775 million. The united megalith went on to buy Blue Triton, formerly Nestlé Waters, in November 2024, after which the main player in the bottled water space changed its name.
Primo Brands Corporation (NYSE:PRMB) describes itself as "a leading branded beverage company, with iconic national and regional brands. We deliver healthy hydration options to millions of customers and consumers across the U.S. and Canada in stores, at home, or in the office – or whenever, wherever and however they hydrate." A positive first quarter earnings report was announced earlier this month, $1.63 billion net sales. Primo Brands Chairman and CEO Eric Foss said, "We delivered a strong start to 2026, with momentum building across the business. First quarter top-line results exceeded our expectations, driven by robust growth in Retail channels led by our premium brands and continued improvement in Direct Delivery."
Primo Brands , 2025 Annual Report highlights:
- $6.7 billion USD Net Revenue
- 50 production facilities
- 200 depots
- 4800 delivery vehicles
- 80 spring water sources, 36 owned sites
- over 3 million commercial and residential customers
- ~150, 000 retail points of distribution
- ~ 26,500 exchange locations
- ~23,500 self-service refill stations
In additioned to the self-service refill stations with the Primo label, the following private brands are also Primo products:
- Arrowhead 1894
- Canadian Springs
- Deer Park
- Ice Mountain
- Kentwood Springs
- Labrador Source
- The Mountain Valley Spring Water
- Ozarka
- Poland Spring est 1845
- Primo Water
- Saratoga Spring Water 1872
- Sparkletts
- Splash Blast/Splash Refresher
- Zephyrhills
- Florida Spring Water
- Pure Life
Other major bottled water players serving popular brands include the soft drink giants PepsiCo, with AquaFina and Bubly brands, and Coca-Cola, with Dasani and Smart Water. Walmart retails the Great Value brand, Costco has Kirkland water, popular case-lot items. There are dozens of smaller and premium private label brands provided by companies earning under $10M annual revenue, too numerous to mention here.
One of the least known and possibly the most important player in the bottled water industry, multi billion dollar, family-owned and operated bottling and contract packaging company, Niagara Bottling, LLC. Established by Andrew Peykoff Sr. in 1963 in Diamond Bar, CA, this is the company responsible for compliance with FDA regulations, including current good manufacturing process to fill the majority of private label water bottles listed above. Niagara Bottling has been venturing into robotics, some of the bottling plants are fully automated, laser guided vehicles move pallets of packaged water from the production floor to load delivery trucks, 24 hours a day.
Water stress is a term used when demand for safe, usable water in a given region is approaching or exceeds the available supply.
UN Water tracks and reports the inventory of freshwater resource by country. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) World Water Resources by Country, North America is privileged to holds 15% of the world's accessible fresh water. Alaska, Canada and Greenland are counted together as a region, possessing over 62% of North America's 6700 cubic km of water resources. The contiguous USA holds approximately 31% of continental usable fresh water, with Mexico dealt just under 7% .
Adjusting for population, the per-capita freshwater volume circulating through US watersheds is estimated at 24,000 m3 per person. In Canada, that person-adjusted water volume hits six figures; 100,000 m3 per resident. The price tag or dollar value placed on freshwater has been questioned for decades. Considering 50 countries are completely dependent on others for their water supply, US and Canadian residents are incredibly water secure and well-resourced. A January 2026 report from UN University shows just how dire the global water crisis has become. World Enters "Era of Global Water Bankruptcy" describes water scarcity impacting billions. At the same time, in Ontario, Canada, private industry can take fresh water with a permit, the price of one million gallons runs around $10 USD.
Tap vs bottled water
Tap water from public drinking water facilities is sourced from groundwater aquifers (wells) or raw water intakes in surface water (lakes, rivers, reservoirs). The raw water is treated with some combination of settling and coagulation, filtering of contaminants and disinfecting for microbiological contamination. Often, anti-corrosives are added to protect pipes, fluoride may be added before the water is distributed to taps through a network of service mains. Quality and safety of tap water is regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), coordinating with state authorities to perform monitoring and facility sanitary inspections. The EPA assesses each licensed facility for compliance with the with National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, with compliance data available to the public, updated quarterly.
See the latest WTNY.us Serious Violator List, breaking down the EPA Enforcement Priorities, those licensed facilities of NYS found with significant violations of the SDWA, here.
The EPA defines a Public drinking water facility as serving 15 or more service connections, or serving at least 25 individuals, at least 60 days in a year. Public facilities are categorized as transient population (such as a gas station) or a stable community (a school, industrial facility or municipality). These facilities may be privately owned and operated, or government owned and operated, however all facilities meeting the criteria above are deemed "public", therefore required to monitor for contaminants and report on a regular basis.
The EPA has the authority to enforce quality standards, including maximum contaminant levels, with the right to enforce compliance all the way up to criminal prosecutions. The EPA Criminal Investigation has authority to charge individuals, municipalities and corporations with felony violations of the SDWA. Transparency is assured under Right to Know legislation, with detailed compliance and enforcement history reports published on line on a quarterly basis.
Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA sets out the standards for type of water, quality and manufacturing process, all contained in the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. For the conscious consumer, it is important to understand the bottler is very often not the company listed on the label. As mentioned earlier, the biggest retailers in the business contract Niagara Bottling for the sourcing and manufacturing. Niagara, and other processors are responsible for compliance with the FDA standards for manufacturing. As per the FDA website, the Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) are defined specifically for bottled water, requiring producers to:
- Process, bottle, hold and transport bottled water under sanitary conditions
- Protect water sources from bacteria, chemicals and other contaminants
- Use quality control processes to ensure the bacteriological and chemical safety of the water
- Sample and test both source water and the final product for contaminants
FDA monitors and inspects bottled water products and processing plants under its food safety program. When FDA inspects plants, the Agency verifies that the plant's product water and operational water supply are obtained from an approved source; inspects washing and sanitizing procedures; inspects bottling operations; and determines whether the companies analyze their source water and product water for contaminants.(Source: FDA)
FDA defines bottled water types by source, including artesian, spring, well and mineral water. FDA regulations stipulate that waters from natural sources must have nothing added, with the exception of fluoride and disinfection for potential microbiological contamination. Bottled water labelled "Purified" refers to municipal tap water that has been distilled, ozonated, treated with reverse osmosis or treated with additional fine filtration prior to bottling.
The private label or brand owner is liable for meeting FDA labeling requirements. Labels must indicate the source and type of water, while not required to list the bottler. Take a close look at a bottled water label to find the required information: for example, the AquaFina label says, "Purified by reverse osmosis", "demineralized treated water", includes the fluoride ions added, Source: Coming from the City of...listing 7 sources in Canada. The label gives a legal statement, "PepsiCo Inc, used under license", denotes the private label owner, "bottled for PepsiCo", along with a consumer contact line, 1-800-433-2652. The PepsiCo Consumer Relations line automated message in Canada has both official languages, indicates the hours of availability Monday to Friday, and does not respond on holidays. There is no voicemail option. The call disconnects automatically outside of regular office hours. This label does not indicate the bottler, Niagara.
Is bottled better than tap?
FDA has a lower tolerance for contaminants in bottled water than what is allowed in tap water. For example, tap water can have up to 15 ppb lead, while bottled water can have no more than 5 ppb. (Source: FDA). Natural spring water from a pristine source may be well worth a premium price, if in fact the source has not been compromised by development or industry. Purified water may equate in quality to tap water run through an in-home filtering process.
See FDA guidance on bottled water safety, here.
WT asked the readers of r/water to weigh in. Tap or filtered? Of 70 respondents, 38 said they prefer filtered with 32 confident and happy with their tap water, largely dependent on location. Many readers on r/water have accessed their local municipal water reports to ensure the water safe for long term daily consumption. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations do not regulate pharmaceuticals, this class of contaminants is slated for the next cycle of testing under the US EPA unregulated contaminant rule. For those concerned about PFAS and pharmaceuticals, filtration is available for in-home use, a number of filters have been certified by the National Sanitation Foundation.
The buck stops where?
Given most packaged water originates from a source either leased or owned by one company, transported to a production facility owned by another company, and private labelled by yet another company, if something were to go wrong, who is accountable? One case pending in the US points to potential contamination of a trusted brand.
Nadel v. Primo Water Corporation, et al. Case 9:25-cv-80993 was filed in US District Court, Southern District of Florida on August 11, 2025. The proposed class action names Primo Water Corporation, Primo Water North America, Inc., another Delaware company and Mountain Valley Spring Company, LLC., an Arkansas limited liability company as Defendants, with a demand for jury trial. The class action lawsuit stems from a complaint by Mr. J Nadel, alleging undisclosed contaminants and premium price deception.
From Albrecht Law web page: "the complaint alleges that despite being marketed as premium and pure, the water contains contaminants, including arsenic and uranium, based on recent laboratory testing." The Albrecht case briefing states, "Consumers paid a premium price (4-8 times standard bottled water) based on purity claims. The lawsuit alleges this premium was not justified for water that contains the alleged contaminants and scores in the bottom 25% of waters tested by one independent group."
The allegations against Primo and Mountain Valley Spring Water have yet to be proven in court. Lead Counsel Travis Ritter is expected to file a motion for certification of the class action when the class reaches the numbers demonstrative of a common injury. If and when the case is eventually certified, a jury trial will follow in a timely manner.
In the next article, WaterToday investigates allegations of counterfeit water in North America. Sources indicate unlicensed bottlers are filling from industrial service lines, applying a counterfeit label and distributing through smaller convenience stores in the cities and towns of Canada and USA. We have reached out to the FDA and IWBA for input on this subject, what percentage of bottled water sales are suspected counterfeit. More to follow.
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