Who regulates the bottled water industry?

Bottled water is regulated at the industry, state, and federal levels. Industry associations such as the International Bottled Water Association require members to undergo an annual, unannounced inspection by an independent party. The IBWA has also set up a Model Code in order to insure quality in products produced by members. States provide additional inspections and certification. The Food and Drug Administration regulates the industry at the federal level. All bottlers must adhere to their regulations regarding quality, labelling, and manufacturing.

Are there harmful bacteria in the water?

The IBWA states on its website that, according to Dr. Stephen Edberg, Ph.D., A.B.M.M., and Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Internal Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine and Directory of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Yale-New Haven Hospital, "Consumers can be confident in the safety of bottled water. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has never confirmed an outbreak, illness or fatality in the United States linked to the consumption of bottled water. Bottled water that complies with FDA and IBWA Model Code standards has been shown not to harbor medically harmful microbes." In order to insure that you receive high quality water, we filter the water for all of our brands and test it frequently.

Is steam distillation the same as reverse osmosis?

No. Steam distillation super heats the water to eliminate all minerals within a tolerance of 0-1 (or perhaps 0-2 ppm TDS), recollects the steam, and condenses it back into a liquid form. Reverse osmosis sends water through membrane filtration and other treatments to produce purified water. The TDS of reverse osmosis water varies widely from close to 0 to up to 50 or more. Kandiyohi has a TDS of 22-27 due to the minerals that are added after purification to enhance flavor and health benefits.