The Unquenchable Thirst for Bottled Water in Mexico Jude Webber - FT.com
go to original September 9, 2013

Bottled Water companies taking us for fools (RTAmerica)

Mexico is not only one of the world’s biggest soda drinking nations. It also has an apparently unquenchable thirst for bottled water.

According to a study from Inter-American Development Bank, the country has the world’s highest per capita consumption of bottled water, with Mexicans using on average about 127 gallons (480 litres) of bottled water per person in 2011. That’s more than four times the per capita level of consumption in the US.

Whether it be giant canisters of water delivered by truck – despite officially safe drinking water, at least in Mexico City – or small bottles of water on sale in shops, it’s a booming market for the big drinks businesses. Danone, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, in that order, dominate the market – and profits are set to keep on flowing.

By some estimates, indeed, Mexico, which consumes on average some 7.2bn gallons of bottled water a year, is the world’s biggest market for a commodity that westerners take for granted will emerge safely from a tap.

Read the rest at FT.com

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