The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) said on the 11th that a survey of 28 domestic bottled water products sold on the market, including their water sources and unit prices, found that even products drawn from the same source differed in price by as much as about 1.7 times depending on the brand.
According to the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA), the survey found many cases in which bottled water products did not provide specific information on water sources or expiration dates. It also found cases in which products of the same brand and the same capacity had different water sources.
Those surveyed were a total of 28 brands: ▲ Jeju Samdasoo ▲ Mashinda ▲ Oneuljoeun Mineral Water ▲ Icis 8.0 ▲ Haneulsaem ▲ Sparkle ▲ Gaya Water ▲ Heyroo Mineral Water ▲ Real Price Jirisan Mountain Clear Spring Water ▲ Baiksansu ▲ Dongwon Spring Water ▲ Wake Up Beauty ▲ Aqua Foret ▲ No Brand Mineral Water ▲ Peacock True Water ▲ 5K Price ▲ Gwangcheonsu ▲ NaeMomAe 70% ▲ Tamsa Spring Water ▲ Tamsa Basic Water ▲ Tamsa Water ▲ Pulmuone Spring Water ▲ Water Routine ▲ Pure ▲ Seoksoo ▲ Mongbest ▲ Simplex.
The survey found large price differences even among products drawn from the same water source. Among products using Sunchang County, North Jeolla Province as the source, "Tamsa Water No-Label" was 43 won per 100 mL, while "Icis 8.0" was 72 won, a price gap of about 1.7 times. The two products had the same manufacturer, ingredients, and content.
For products sourced from Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, "Mongbest No-Label" was 59 won per 100 mL, 22.9% higher than "Gaya Water" (48 won), which uses the same regional source.
A price gap was also confirmed among products sourced from Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province. "Gaya Water" was 43 won per 100 mL, about 11.6% lower than "Tamsa Water No-Label" and "Mashinda No-Label" (48 won each).
Label information for bottled water products sold online also proved insufficient. Among those surveyed brands, 43% (12) were sold by randomly shipping products produced from two or more water sources, and some brands were found to use up to nine sources. As a result, it is difficult for consumers to check the source of the product that will actually be delivered at the time of order.
In addition, 64% (18) of all brands provided the expiration date on online sales pages only as "12 months from the manufacturing date," and listed the manufacturing date only on the container label, making it difficult to confirm the exact expiration date before purchase.
Although the government made no-label bottled water sales mandatory starting in January this year to improve PET bottle recycling efficiency, there were cases where labeling was printed small on the bottle cap or faintly engraved on the container, raising the need for improvements.
The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) recommended labeling improvements to businesses that lack water source and expiration date information on online sales pages. For no-label products, it asked them to guide consumers to easily check related information by using QR codes and other tools.
An official at the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) said, "Consumers should carefully compare the water source and price of bottled water before purchasing."