THE SURVEILLANCE SERIES
Fortified water as a drink has been there for a while now and market forecasters see a booming future for this category globally, pointing to factors such as growing urbanisation and greater health consciousness. Marketed as a ‘health’ drink, it proffers consumers an alternative to carbonated or artificially flavoured drinks. Often boasting of lower calorie content than carbonated drinks but offering more taste appeal than plain water, fortified water is an attractive proposition to many consumers. Of course, ‘health’ or ‘natural’ claims are grey territory. Sometimes brands claim to have more of a particular ingredient so as to be one up on competitors. So, while they may taste good, watch out for unsubstantiated claims on the labels. The following report assesses four brands of fortified water on essential attributes, including important vitamins and electrolytes that they are expected to contain.
What is water fortified with, one may ask. Well, it may be vitamins, minerals and fruit juices, to begin with. A small but rising number of flavoured waters also provide added value through the inclusion of herbs. Fortified water is commonly preferred by those who want to drink their supplements and also by those who drink water during workouts and want a little more flavour than that provided by plain water.