The use of plastic seals in some bottled water bottle products lately often raises questions. Is it true that plastic seals make drinks safer for consumption? If not, what are the criteria for drinking bottles that are safe for health?
Bottled drinking water in the form of gallons or bottles is often the choice of most people because it is considered more practical, safe, and hygienic. To increase consumer confidence in the safety of bottled drinking water, some manufacturers equip their products with plastic seals on bottle caps.
In fact, the use of plastic seals is still controversial because it has not been proven to increase the safety of a product. So, what are the criteria for a bottled beverage that is good for consumption?
Criteria for Safe and Healthy Packaged Drink Bottles
Bottled beverage bottles that are safe for health have the following criteria:
The bottle cap is tightly locked
Before you buy and consume bottled water, it is important to check the condition of the bottle cap first. Bottle caps are generally equipped with a special safety lock that is attached to a safety ring at the bottom of the bottle cap.
The ring and safety lock function to maintain the quality of the drink and prevent dirt from entering it. If the ring and bottle cap safety lock are open or damaged, it means that the drink inside is contaminated and unfit for consumption.
Therefore, choose bottled beverage bottles whose lids are still tightly locked and undamaged. Bottle caps that are still locked will make a cracking sound when opened.
Relevant agency certification
Also make sure the bottled water you buy has met the standards set by the National Standardization Agency (BSN). You can know this from the SNI logo printed on the product packaging design.
Not only that, bottled water products should also be certified by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency, which is marked by the presence of a BPOM number. This indicates that the packaged beverage product is feasible and has received permission to circulate in the market.
Then, what about the use of plastic seals in packaged beverage products? The ring and lock on the bottle cap are actually enough to maintain the quality of the product, so the use of plastic seals to wrap the bottle caps has almost no effect.
The addition of plastic seals is nothing but to increase consumer confidence regarding the safety of a packaged beverage product. There is no evidence yet that the use of these plastic seals can increase the safety of product contents.
The Importance of Choosing Eco-Friendly Drink Bottles
Choosing a safe and environmentally friendly beverage bottle may seem like a hassle. However, this simple act can provide enormous benefits, not only for yourself but also for others and the environment.
The following are reasons why it is important to be careful in choosing a beverage bottle:
Impact on health
The bottle cap lock is a sign of the quality and safety of the product contents. When the bottle cap lock is broken or open, the quality of the product contents is no longer guaranteed, it does not even rule out the possibility of germs or harmful substances having entered and contaminating the product contents.
If still consumed, bottled mineral water that has been contaminated can cause health problems, such as poisoning or diarrhea.
Impact on the environment
The use of plastic bottles that are difficult to recycle will increase the accumulation of plastic waste. In fact, in 2016 alone, plastic production has reached 320 million tons. This figure is expected to continue to increase every year.
Meanwhile, it takes hundreds to thousands of years for plastic to completely decompose, even when it decomposes, the plastic waste is not completely lost and can cause soil and water pollution.
In the end, this will harm humans, such as the soil becomes infertile for plants to grow and the water is contaminated with chemicals from plastics that can be harmful to health if consumed.
We should be more selective in choosing a drink bottle, because this habit has a great influence on ourselves, others, and of course the environment. Therefore, from now on, choose packaged beverage products that are safe for health and environmentally friendly.
