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California Department of Public Health Protects Bottled Water Corporations Instead of Consumers By Opposing “Right to Know” Legislation

San Francisco, CA--Despite the increasing importance of efficient water management the California Department of Public Health has labeled the amount of water commercially bottled in California as a “trade secret.” In a recent letter from the department to Assembly member Felipe Fuentes, author of Assembly Bill 2275, the department argues that the bill’s requirement that bottled water facilities disclose the volume of water bottled would reveal “confidential business information.”

“We are disappointed that Governor Schwarzenegger’s Department of Public Health, in the midst of a drought, is depriving the public of basic information about the bottling of their water," said Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch. "California’s water is a public trust and Californians have a right to know how much of their water is being exploited for profit by the bottled water industry.”

Momentum for AB 2275 has been building this summer. The bill has already passed the Assembly and was approved by the Senate Appropriations committee in late June.

“It makes no sense for the Department of Public Health to be opposed to the bill”, said Assembly member Fuentes.  “Now more than ever during this drought season communities need reliable and accurate information about the water being extracted from local aquifers."

This latest edict from the Department of Health came mere weeks after the Schwarzenegger administration ordered the state’s Department of Water Resources to take immediate action to address the state’s “serious drought conditions and water delivery limitations.”

“We are shocked by the Administration’s hypocrisy in giving a free pass to the water bottling industry bottling in the face of such conditions,” said Hauter.

Food & Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer rights organization that challenges the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources. Visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.