Dutch drink more tap water, soda
According to the Dutch Association Soft Drinks, Water, Juices (FWS), people in the Netherlands drank millions of liters more tap water in 2013.
There are three reasons for this, the association says. Water fits into a healthy lifestyle, from the tap is much cheaper than mineral water from a bottle and bottling water at home is much less harmful to the environment.
The increase in tap water consumption has bashed the Dutch beverage industry. In 2013 nearly 40 million liters less soda was drunk and 15 million liters less juice. Nectar decreased by 2.6 million liters. Only the sales in spring water rose.
The exact figures on the increase in the consumption of tap water are not available. Looking at the decline in soft drinks sales, the conclusion can be drawn that people drank nearly 50 million liter more tap water in 2013 than a year earlier. That is an average of 3 liters per person.
While spring water is less popular, because it is too expensive, harmful to the environment and the Netherlands' tap water is of high quality, sales increased anyway with the trend to healthier lifestyles. In 2013 the Dutch drank an average of 22 liters of bottled water per person, more than ever before.