K-Mart bottled water is said to be great, but is it? In early 2005, John Stossel of ABC News did a special report on bottled water. Stossel and his team talked to people about why they choose bottled water over tap water. Most said, of course, they chose bottled water because they consider it safer. Some chose bottled water because it tasted better.

K-Mart bottled water entered the report when Stossel and his team ran a taste test. K-Mart bottled water, the discount brand American Fare, was pitted against New York City tap water and 4 better known, brand-name bottled waters.

Many of the people who participated regularly rejected tap water for bottled water. They were sure they could tell the difference in taste.

What Happened

1. One of the five waters was termed particularly bad by many participants. It was not New York City tap water, though. It was bottled water. In fact, it was Evian, an expensive French bottled water.

2. One of the five waters tasted was judged better than the other four. It was not the better known brands, though. It was not New York City tap water either. It was K-Mart bottled water.

These five water samples, four of them bottled water, all tested as equally healthy. When it came to taste, K-Mart bottled water beat the other four.

American Fare

K-Mart bottled water is, as mentioned above, the discount brand labeled as American Fare. That tells us little, but since it is a private label, it is difficult to find information about American Fare bottled water.

In mid-March of 2007, K-Mart expanded its American Fare line of beverages. The bottled water did so well that it is adding products such as vitamin water, bottled green iced tea, energy drinks, fruit-flavored water, and juice pouches.

If you search long enough and far enough, you will learn that American Fare bottled water is produced for K-Mart by "Famous Ramona Water, Inc." in Ramona, California. Once you have learned this, you can inquire into the quality of American Fare bottled water.

What's in K-Mart Bottled Water?

Famous Ramona Water, Inc. is one of 20 member companies of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) that add fluoride to their bottled water. The practice of adding fluoride to water is good, right? It has been added to U.S. tap water for more than 60 years.

Fluoride Can Be Toxic

A growing number of reports indicate that fluoride in drinking water can be toxic, especially to children.

While proponents of fluoridation assert that there is no legitimate scientific controversy over either the benefits or safety of adding fluoridation to water, records show that there had been clear scientific controversy from the outset. There continues to be scientific controversy to this day.

Reading just a few of the many facts available on the Internet shows the honest reader that there are real dangers involved in adding fluoride to bottled water.

1. Dental fluorosis is pandemic in areas where fluoride has been added to tap water. This condition is defined as: "an abnormal condition (as mottling of the teeth) caused by fluorine or its compounds."

2. Dental fluorosis is recognized globally by scientists to be the first clinical sign of fluoride poisoning.

3. Other countries besides those in North America have documented staggering health problems as a result of adding fluoride to drinking water.

4. Approximately twenty nations show health problems that are clearly traceable to the ingestion of fluoride such as is being added to bottled water.

5. Nearly two years ago, as of the writing of this in April 2007, 11 EPA employee unions asked for a moratorium on fluoridated drinking water. These 11 employee unions asked the EPA to recognize the cancer risks associated with adding fluoride to tap water and bottled water.

Conclusion

The teeth are said to be a mirror of what is happening to the bones of the human body. I am not a scientist, but the pictures I have seen of dental fluorosis are frightening enough to make me choose water without fluoride. The scientific facts regarding fluoride that abound on the Internet are frightening enough to make me avoid bottled water that has been fluoridated.

K-Mart bottled water may be among the least expensive, but one must question whether it is even worth the low price asked when it floods the body with fluoride, a substance that is causing growing concern.

If you care about what is in your bottled water, you may want to research the effects of fluoride.