We at GreenMe, for obvious reasons, prefer tap water but Italians in general remain big fans of packaged mineral water. It is no coincidence that our country is among the largest consumers in the world, with millions of bottles ending up on our tables every year.
But is bottled water really safer and tastier, as is often believed? To answer this question, Altroconsumo analyzed 27 brands of sparkling mineral waterevaluating its quality based on a series of parameters ranging from purity to sustainability.
Among the bottles analysed, only 5 waters stood out for their good quality and competitive price, while 6 were “failed” due to the presence of heavy metals, such as arsenic and manganese, in quantities considered “critical”.
Let’s find out the ranking.
The ranking of sparkling mineral water
How the test was conducted
Altroconsumo subjected the 27 bottles to various laboratory analyzes to evaluate various aspects of their quality. The test focused on:
The tested products were purchased in March 2024 and the analyzes were then carried out between April and May.
The results
Most sparkling water bottles have received positive ratings, with several brands demonstrating good or excellent levels of purity and safety. There were, however 6 bottles penalized for the high presence of heavy metals, in particular arsenic and manganese which, despite being within the legal limits, are present in concentrations higher than the average of the other waters tested.
Altroconsumo recalls that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recently raised the issue of arsenic in food, given the potential accumulation of this substance in the body. But which sparkling waters contain it the most among those tested? These are those of the brands:
Gaudianello was instead reported for the presence of manganese in high quantities.
As regards the fixed residue, Altroconsumo signals the San Martino water which, with a fixed residue of 3,110 mg/l, is too rich in salts for habitual consumption and can only be suitable in cases of specific need. The other waters, however, are to be preferred depending on the case: low-mineral or minimally mineralized for daily use, while waters with high levels of fixed residue are more suitable for replenishing the salts lost through sweat or during sporting activity.
The water should then be odorless, but some samples, such as Boario, presented more intense odors, probably due to a high sulphate content.
Regarding the weight of the plastic and therefore the environmental impact of the bottles, Brio Blu, Smeraldina, Lauretana, San Bernardo and Levissima were found to be acceptable, while Brio Rossa and San Pellegrino were penalized for excessive weight.
Finally, regarding the completeness of the information on the label, many bottles do not clearly indicate the expiry date, an important piece of information that should be legible to guarantee the freshness and safety of the product.
