Water Date Stamped*

[Planned obsolescence: dated water-RSB]

February 11, 2004 4:29 a.m. EST

PERSONAL JOURNAL

A Little Secret About Bottled Water

Containers Say It Expires,

But Evidence for That Is Scant;

Blame It on New Jersey

By ANDREA PETERSEN

Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

It's rough enough that the millions of Americans who buy bottled water are paying for something that used to basically be free. But even harder to stomach is the message that comes on the bottle: Like milk and eggs, water now "expires."

Most commercially produced water comes stamped with expiration dates -- typically within two years of when it was bottled. On most Poland Spring bottles there are tiny, white letters advising consumers to drink up within two years. Most Aquafina bottles sport two-year expiration warnings on their caps. In general, the dates on bottled water include the prefix "EXP," meaning "expires." Fiji brand water has a slightly different approach: Its bottles say "Best by" followed by the date. Coca-Cola Inc. puts a one-year expiration date on its Dasani brand water.

The message that water has a shelf life has been further amplified in the wake of Sept. 11. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security urges people to stockpile water in their disaster-preparedness kits. On its Web site (www.ready.gov1), it instructs people to change their stored water every six months.

A BOTTLED-WATER LEXICON

What's what in water world? See a list of labels1 and what they mean.

The American Red Cross also advises people via its Web site to replace their stored water every six months. But when contacted, the organization's manager of disaster education, Rocky Lopes, says people should replace their bottled water before its expiration date. "The water should be replaced if the manufacturer determines there is a reason for it," he says.

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