What are the government regulations on bottled water?
In Canada, pre-packaged water (bottled water) is considered to be a food and is regulated under Division 12 of the Food and Drug Regulations. Bottled water is defined as follows: Bottled water labelled mineral or spring water is a potable water (fit for human consumption) that comes from an underground source. It cannot come from a public water supply. Mineral water is spring water with a larger amount of dissolved mineral salts, usually above 500 milligrams per litre of total dissolved solids. (The content may vary depending on specific regulations in different countries. For example, in the United States, mineral water contains more than 250 milligrams per litre of total dissolved solids.) Mineral and spring waters must not have their composition modified through the use of chemicals, but carbon dioxide and ozone can be added during the bottling process to protect the freshness. Bottled water not represented as mineral or spring water, is water from any source (municipal water, well
A5: As mentioned earlier, in Canada, pre-packed water (bottled water) is a food and thus is regulated under Division 12 of the Food and Drug Regulations. Water represented as mineral or spring water is a potable water obtained from an underground source, but cannot come from public water supply. To be potable, mineral or spring water should not contain any coliform bacteria. Other bottled waters may undergo a variety of treatments and should meet the regulatory requirements of Division 12 for coliform and aerobic bacteria (Table 3). The aerobic colony count (ACC) standard, in addition to the coliform standard, was established for treated bottled water in 1980, and these are also outlined under Division 12 of the Food and Drug Regulations. The treatments applied to bottled water must be declared on the label. It should also be remembered that pre-packaged ice must also comply with the provisions of Division 12. Because they are foods, pre-packaged water (bottled water) and ice must also
