(Cleveland, OH) The Fiji Water company has irritated Cleveland residents with an ad campaign that mocks the city's old reputation for unhealthy water.The Fiji ads, placed in print and Internet vehicles, announce that "The label says Fiji because it's not bottled in Cleveland."
Fiji president Edward Cochran grew up outside of Cleveland in Bay Village, and he took credit for the ad.
"It is only a joke," he said. "We had to pick some town."
Cleveland Public Utilities Director Julius Ciaccia, however, procured a bottle of Fiji and tested the water for impurities. The tests measured 6.31 micrograms of arsenic per liter in the Fiji bottle. Cleveland tap water, plus Fiji competitors Aquafina, Dasani and Evian did not show any traces of arsenic.
Fiji also showed the highest levels of all the samples for the toxic chemicals styrene and toluene.
Cochran dismissed the findings, saying that his own company's tests found much lower levels of arsenic in Fiji Water. He also questioned the validity of the tests, noting that an independent testing facility should have been used.
17 comments:
When will idiots like Cochran learn? Every time a company makes fun of a city or an area there is a backlash that haunts the company. Cochran should be fired for his stupidity.
Oh - GO CLEVELAND! (i'm a homer!)
Good point on the corporate faux pas, anonymous. I'll bet the corporate PR folks at Fiji are working overtime this week to minimize the damage from this.
Ha!
Fiji also showed the highest levels of all the samples for the toxic chemicals styrene and toluene.
Why is this crap even IN water?
Last I checked, water was hydrogen and oxygen, right?
I love how you juxtaposed the corporate guy bragging about his own company's tests...then stating Cleveland should have used an independent testing lab...
arsenic? Wow...too bad they started this fight. I will never buy their water again. Shouldn't have any arsenic in it.
Brian:
Those chemicals are EVERYWHERE...
(cue scary music)
Fiji has no monopoly - they just looked stupid by slagging Cleveland's water and then getting made foolish through the testing.
Thanks, NWTPG.
I was shooting for editorial irony with that!
Kate:
It is impossible to hide from naturally occurring chemicals such as aresenic, or man-made toxins such as toluene or styrene.
The best we can hope for is to minimize exposure.
6.31 micrograms is still under the FDA limit of 10 micrograms, so don't worry too much.
Pop Quiz! Which is more tested and regulated: bottled water or municipal water?
Buy a water distiller!!!!!!! I'm telling you it makes all the difference in the world. After a couple of days of drinking pure water - your whole body feels different.
And the crap in the bottom of the distiller from our great city water? It's unbelievable. It's disgusting and it smells like vomit.
Gerard Rotonda
Concern over this water's arsenic content. Time to switch back to Panna.
Now the public knows about arsenic in Fiji water. Very concerning.
What's sad is that that ad was put together by a young marketing team in California, that probably isn't aware of the sensitivity about water in Cleveland. They should have picked LA...we don't care...none of us want to drink our water anyway.... Something else, according to www.bottledwater.org, the average baked potato has like 40 micrograms of arsenic, compared with 30,000 micrograms of arsenic in shellfish. i hate to be devil's advocate, but the newspaper seemed "out to get" fiji. still my favorite water.
To Kate, who is using a "distiller."
Please do NOT drink only distilled water. Distilled water is so stripped of natural minerals that it actually pulls minerals out of your body and cells. This will hurt you in the long run, or not so long...
Cochran should drink some Smart Water
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