NEWS

Over the past few years, many beverage giants have made bets on the sparkling water market. According to Nielsen omni-channel sales data, as of August 2019, annual retail sales of flavored sparkling water reached US$2.45 billion. Since 1980, sparkling water has become "the standard water for people with high IQ and high quality".

Compared with carbonated drinks, sparkling water has no sugar or low sugar content, and has become the "healthy and happy water" or even "happy weight loss water" in the minds of modern people. So, can sparkling water really have the effect of losing weight? Does carbon dioxide-rich sparkling water affect tooth and bone health?

The age of sparkling water?

Sparkling water is a refreshing drink that offers a good alternative to sugary soft drinks.

According to The Guardian, Americans drink 170 million gallons of sparkling water every year, and people's fanatical pursuit of the product has been described as a "millennial belief."

According to data from Euromonitor, the overall sparkling water market is expected to reach US$3.1 billion by 2022. As a new trend, sparkling water is among the top ten food trend predictions for 2020 released by BENCHMARK.

According to Foodaily, non-alcoholic beverage giant Nestlé will begin to vigorously expand the sparkling water market in 2020, which undoubtedly sends a signal: sparkling water products are being sought after.

So why has sparkling water suddenly become everyone’s new fashion favorite?

First and most importantly, consumers’ understanding of nutritional ingredients is changing, and “sugar reduction” has become a new health trend. Compared with carbonated drinks, sparkling water contains less sugar, is rich in minerals, and is relatively healthier. At the same time, in terms of marketing, various businesses also focus on health brands, thus attracting many consumers.

Secondly, drinking plain water is too boring for many people, while sparkling water has the excitement of carbonated drinks and has more and more flavor options, so it has become a powerful substitute for bottled water.

In addition, the packaging of many sparkling waters is very high-quality, and with the support of social media and other media, "only drinking sparkling water" gives people a healthy and bourgeois feeling, so it attracts many young people, which in turn triggers the "sparkling water trend" .

But does sparkling water really meet your health needs? Is what you drink really "sparkling water"?

What exactly is sparkling water?

We often hear carbonated water, soda water, and sparkling water, and it is easy to confuse these terms. So what exactly is sparkling water?

Simply put, sparkling water is a type of carbonated water, divided into two categories: artificial and natural. Artificial sparkling water is artificially added carbon dioxide, while natural water is inherently rich in carbon dioxide. The presence of carbon dioxide gives sparkling water the taste of soda.

In addition, artificial sparkling water usually adds salt and other minerals to improve the taste. Natural sparkling water often contains minerals and sulfur compounds.

So what is the difference between sparkling water, carbonated drinks and soda water? It can be easily distinguished with a few simple formulas:

1. Carbonated drinks = purified water + carbon dioxide + sugar, such as our common Coke and Sprite.

2. Still soda water = purified water + sodium bicarbonate + (some contain sugar and additives)

3. Sparkling soda water = purified water + carbon dioxide + sodium bicarbonate + (some contain sugar), such as VOSS brand soda water.

4. Artificial sparkling water = natural mineral water + carbon dioxide + (some contain sugar and additives), such as Antipodes brand Qiyi.

5. Natural gas sparkling water = natural mineral water containing gas (free carbon dioxide content exceeds 250 mg/L), such as Perrier brand water.