Coke pulls Dasani from Europe

Coke has pulled its Dasani purified-water product from the shelves in the UK, and delayed its launch in France and Germany. The withdrawal was prompted by a quality issue at the recommendation of the UK's food watchdog, but there's a larger issue at stake here, in my opinion.

The launch of Dasani into the UK in the first place didn't go well. Consumers soon realized that unlike the more-familiar Evian and domestic brands of bottled water, Dasani is purified London tap water. I'm not suprised the Brits didn't take to it like ducks to water. Bottled water in the UK has always had a "luxury" aspect to it (at least, it did, when I was there), and consumers could only really turn their noses up at the prospect of mere tap water in a bottle. In continental Europe bottled water is much more of a commodity, but again, between the choice of mineral/spring water and purified tap water, I can guess what your typical French consumer would rather be seen drinking.

I'd be surprised if they didn't postpone the European launch indefinitely.