Fluoridated water push

Fluoride could be added to bottled water within a year, following a review by Food Standards Australia, prompted by a request from the Australian Beverages Council.

It may be good for your teeth. But do you want to have it in your bottled water too? The latest initiative, if successful, would allow manufacturers to voluntarily add fluoride to water, thus offering consumers a choice of fluoridated and non-fluoridated water.

Fluoride has been added to many Australian water supplies for over 30 years and dental authorities associate fluoridation with a significant decrease in tooth decay, a trend which has been reversed recently by increased consumption of bottled water.

This being Australia, the news immediately prompted a vocal anti-fluoridation lobby to again demand the cessation of the practice.