Is water gluten-free?

So lately I’ve been seeing a lot of different type of labels and certifications on products and packaging so this leads me to wonder when have manufacturers gone too far to convince you to buy their product?

An example is when I see a bottled water that instead of saying it is made of material that is recyclable says water is gluten-free! Can someone please explain to me how water will have gluten in it? Yes, I understand someone with a gluten sensitivity or Celiac’s disease needs to be aware of any gluten they are consuming but I’m sure even those individuals know that water is innately gluten-free. Has the manufacturer gone too far to fit in with the trends?

Another example is when the packaging says new and improved. Ok, either the product is new or it is improved, how can it be both? if you have replaced the synthetic flavors with natural ones, you are either launching a new product or you improved it so that it is more wholesome and clean label. As a consumer, we are trained to see new and improved without understanding that something can’t be both.

In the race to make clean label products, manufacturers may make a product with simpler ingredients but they forget it has to taste good too otherwise who is buying it? Would you buy a naturally flavored cereal with low sugar content and lots of vitamins? Yes, of course, you would but only if it tasted as good as the cereal that it was replacing. The challenge for manufacturers is making a product that fits the current trend without isolating their customers. Recall what happened when Coke changed its formula for Coke Zero to Coke Zero Sugar? Consumers notice when their favorite product is altered. 

So if you are not on Google and learning about a particular product, which very few of us are doing for what we consume, that means a manufacturer will put everything on a label that entices you to buy that product–so have they gone too far, labeling water as gluten-free?