How is bottled water regulated?
FEDERAL REGULATIONS: Federal regulations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) coupled with state and industry standards offer consumers assurance that the bottled water they purchase is stringently regulated, tested and of the highest quality. The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) has been a long-standing proponent of additional federal regulations for bottled water and has assisted in the development of regulations at all levels of local, state and federal government. Federal Regulations: Bottled water is regulated as a food by the FDA. Bottled water companies must adhere to the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices and Quality Standards. Good Manufacturing Practices: GMPs are requirements that affect all aspects of plant operations, including factory construction and design; sanitation operations, equipment and procedures; manufacturing equipment, operations and procedures; and administrative/personnel procedures such as record-keeping and employee training. Bottl
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets standards for bottled water if the water is bottled in one state and sold in another. FDA requirements are generally less rigorous than those of the SDWA. The FDA has standards that regulate microbiological, physical, radiological, and chemical characteristics of the water. When the EPA promulgates a standard for a chemical or microbial contaminant for public water, the FDA must either adopt the same standard for bottled water or find that the standard is unnecessary for bottled water to maintain the safety of the water. The FDA also inspects bottled water plants and collects and analyzes samples of bottled water. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) licenses and regulates water bottled in Minnesota. The MDA has its own state rule addressing bottled water and has also adopted FDA bottled water regulations. MDA staff is responsible for approving licenses, inspecting facilities and records, testing water samples, and checking bottled w
Bottled water is a highly regulated product, subject to federal, state and industry standards. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA or the Act), regulates bottled water as a food product. This includes packaged water sold in smaller containers at retail outlets as well as larger five-gallon containers distributed to the home and office market. Like all food products except meat and poultry (which are regulated by USDA), bottled water is subject to FDA s extensive food safety and labeling requirements, which include: • Food adulteration and misbranding provisions; • Nutritional labeling provisions; • General Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs); • Bottled water GMPs; • Bottled water standard of identity; and • Bottled water standard of quality, which is as stringent as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s (EPA) standards for public water supplies. The bottled water industry is further regulated on two additional levels: s
FEDERAL REGULATIONS: Federal regulations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) coupled with state and industry standards offer consumers assurance that the bottled water they purchase is stringently regulated, tested and of the highest quality. Federal Regulations: Bottled water is regulated as a food by the FDA. Bottled water companies must adhere to the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices and Quality Standards. Good Manufacturing Practices: GMPs are requirements that affect all aspects of plant operations, including factory construction and design; sanitation operations, equipment and procedures; manufacturing equipment, operations and procedures; and administrative/personnel procedures such as record-keeping and employee training. Bottled water must adhere to the general food GMPs as well as those specific to bottled water. Quality Standards: All bottled water products must comply with the FDA’s Quality Standards in Section 103.35(d)(2) of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Reg
Bottled water is regulated as a “food” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA requires that bottled water products be clean and safe for human consumption, that they are processed and distributed under sanitary conditions, and they are produced in compliance with FDA Good Manufacturing Practices. In contrast, drinking water from a public water system (household tapwater, water fountains, etc.) is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In concert with the respective state regulatory agencies, EPA develops and enforces drinking water quality standards that are designed to assure the safety of public drinking water. Further, in keeping with a 1978 agreement between the FDA and EPA, the FDA adopts EPA public drinking water standards as part of the quality standards for bottled water. To assure the safety of bottled water, the FDA has developed standards that set a minimal acceptable level of quality. The quality standards address substances in the water th
