Bottled Drink Is “Colossal Fraud”
There is a class-action lawsuit against a major bottled water company that has everyone feeling duped.Having lived in Maine for a few years, it was common knowledge that they were very proud of the fact that Poland Spring Water came from their springs. Even the tag line was a testament to how proud they were. "What it means to be from Maine."
A group of consumers says not so fast and are suing Nestle Waters, the parent company of Poland Springs water, claiming that they wouldn't have paid more for the bottled water if it didn't come from fresh springs in Maine.
According to the Consumerist article and the lawsuit, the water never did come from any form of springs in Maine. It actually comes from ground wells in the most populous areas of Maine. The claim is that it actually came from ground water bottled under the Poland Spring brand since 1993 and mislabeling it as "100% Natural Spring Water."
The lawsuit also states “The famous Poland Spring in Poland Spring, Maine, which Defendant’s labels claim is a source of Poland Spring Water, ran dry nearly 50 years ago, decades before Defendant bought the Poland Spring brand name." These are pretty strong arguments.
Nestle is defending their spring water saying, “It meets the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations defining spring water, all state regulations governing spring classification for standards of identity, as well as all federal and state regulations governing spring water collection, good manufacturing practices, product quality, and labeling. We remain highly confident in our legal position.”
No matter how it shakes out, just a little bit of doubt about the use of natural springs in Maine has to affect this proud state. I feel like I've been duped too.