Question:
Sales of bottled water are booming around the globe. According to the World Wildlife Fund, it's the fastest-growing beverage sector in the world, worth about $33 billion CDN. What makes one brand different than the other? You may notice a number of terms listed on the label

Answer: Mineral and Spring Water - must come from an underground source (not a public water supply) and can't be changed in any way by chemicals. Mineral water has a higher amount of dissolved mineral salts.

Bottled Water - water from any source that can be distilled or carbonated or treated in any other way.

The water in "Dasani" (owned by Coca-Cola) comes from municipal supplies in Brampton, Ont. and Calgary - straight out of the tap. (Pepsi owns "Aquafina.")

Artesian Water/Artesian Well Water - bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand) in which the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer.

Sparkling Water - water that has been carbonated. Soda water, seltzer water and tonic water are not considered bottled waters.

Glacial Water - water from a source directly from a glacier.