.gif)
Fiji Water is an American company operating out of Fiji and has no interest in its politics, says Fiji Water’s director external affairs and development, David Roth.
Roth made the comment in reaction to negative publicity abroad against the bottled water product, one of Fiji’s major export earner.
An article by American journalist Anna Lenzer claims that people in the United States are supporting the military-led government in Fiji by purchasing Fiji Water.
Other articles claim that support for the number one mineral water sold in USA also means supporting a product which is not environmentally friendly.
“We are using environmentally sustainable process and try to remain environmentally sustainable as possible. What we are doing is setting a world business trend,” Roth told FijiLive today.
Lenzer writes “Obama sips it. Paris Hilton loves it. Mary J. Blige won't sing without it. How did a plastic water bottle, imported from a military dictatorship thousands of miles away, become the epitome of cool?”
Lenzer’s article which was published in the magazine ‘Mother Jones’ also claims that people in Fiji constantly suffer from typhoid.
“Nowhere in Fiji Water's glossy marketing materials will you find reference to the typhoid outbreaks that plague Fijians because of the island's faulty water supplies … the fact that its signature bottle is made from Chinese plastic in a diesel-fueled plant and hauled thousands of miles to its eco-conscious consumers. And, of course, you won't find mention of the military junta for which Fiji Water is a major source of global recognition and legitimacy.”
Fiji Water today marked its second birthday and two years of helping people through development projects, as Roth puts it.
Currently there are eight ongoing projects, including Project Heaven’s eye and ear screening tests in Naitasiri and Tailevu, a water project on Kioa Island which will cater for the 800 people who live on the island and an electrification project in Tokaimalo, Ra. Other projects involve schools.
Roth said the Fiji Water Foundation was formed in 2007 and to date has spent $1.4 million, impacting 70, 000 people.
