EU officials have come in for some public criticism (some might say, humiliation?) after deciding that bottled water manufacturers can no longer claim their product prevents dehydration.
The European Food Standards Authority (EFSA) has apparently concluded that reduced water content in the body is a symptom of dehydration but that this is not necessarily caused by a lack of drinking water. So producers will no longer be allowed to make such claims.
Looking at the ruling, it seems that what the EFSA has actually decided is that dehydration in the body is often not caused by a simple lack of drinking water, so topping up the body with drinking water can’t be said to be a total solution to the dehydration. So it seems that the whole thing is a mess based on terminology and the attribution of certain symptoms to different causes.
The decision, which comes into law before the end of the year, has been widely ridiculed across the continent. And in the wake of the US decision to classify pizza (paste) as a vegetable, it’s becoming increasingly clear that where officialdom is concerned, common sense sometimes flies out the window in favour of strictly-worded adherence to certain regulations.
‘common sense sometimes flies out the window’
sometimes? you failed to mention; that the ruling came at the conclusion of a 3 year study into the matter.
Posted by Yan M | November 19, 2011, 11:35 pm