Bottled seawater brings a taste of the Hebrides to British kitchens - Scotland on Sunday

via scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com

You wouldn't want to drink it. Yet despite smelling more like a Scottish beach than a gourmet treat, seawater is set to become the latest must-have ingredient in kitchens across the country.

Acquamara, made from purified seawater from the Outer Hebrides, will be sold in three- litre containers priced at £4.95 and claims to enhance the flavour of foodstuffs from shellfish to soups. It is believed to be the first bottled seawater in the world that has been aimed at the culinary market.

Its creator, Andy Inglis, a former UN official who now lives in Dunbar, East Lothian, will officially launch the product today at the Taste of Edinburgh Festival. He admits some diners may baulk at paying almost a fiver for something that can be found naturally.

"I think it's going to be seen as a bit cheeky, but if I can be a bit cheeky and create jobs in the Hebrides than I'm happy being a bit cheeky." he said.

Acquamara comes from the waters around the tiny Hebridean island of Berneray, where it is extracted from the sea and passed through a filter which cleans it of dirt, sand and rust, and any other containing particles. It is then tanked to a bottling facility near Dunbar. Certified as safe drinking water under EC drinking water standards, it will be sold in containers similar to wine boxes.

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Bottled Water Gets Bashed Again

Apparently the UK Government is comparing bottled water to cigarettes as an immoral cancer on society.

Drinking bottled water should be made as unfashionable as smoking, according to a government adviser.

"We have to make people think that it's unfashionable just as we have with smoking. We need a similar campaign to convince people that this is wrong," said Tim Lang, the Government's naural resources commissioner.

Bottled water generates up to 600 times more C02 than tap water

Phil Woolas, the environment minister, added that the amount of money spent on mineral water "borders on being morally unacceptable".

Their comments come as new research shows that drinking a bottle of water has the same impact on the environment as driving a car for a kilometre. Conservation groups and water providers have started a campaign against the £2 billion industry.

This is utter bollocks. Cigarettes kill and maim millions of people worldwide. I am not sure the same could be said of bottled water. I live in a hot place and from time to time I think it is reasonable to be able to buy some safe and cool refreshment. Are we supposed to drink Coke? Seems to me that the carbon footprint of flavoured water and fizzy water will be even higher.

Another one of those please move to a cave and stop living philosophies from our glorious leaders. Get back to your chauffeur driven carbon emitting limousine and leave us alone.

Thanks.

The Cost of Water

As South Australia gets ready for Level 3 Water Restrictions tomorrow, where you can water your garden on alternate years, Rex Jory, who hangs out on the back page of the Adelaide Murdoch Comic has some sobering statistics on the cost of water.

In South Australia, 1 litre bottle of drinking water costs around $3 at the store. On the other hand a thousand litres of potable water from the tap costs around $1.

Seems pretty obvious that the cost of water from the tap will have to increase dramatically, if people are to seriously consider making changes in the way that they use readily available water.

You can legislate restrictions all you like, but the wallet is where this area of public policy will have to head. The danger is that this State Government will just pocket the money, rather like their favourite "taxes", speeding fines. On the other hand, a bit of rain may help a little.

Update: The Attorney General, who lives just round the corner, tonight invited the Citizens of South Australia to "Dob in their Neighbours" if they spotted any outrageous residential garden watering abuse. The Water Police will be round pronto. Scary Stuff. The day before the restrictions went into place, South Australians used an extra 30 percent water compared to the previous weekend. Must be filling up those water bottles.