Legislation and standards on Bottled Waters

EU Legislation

All natural mineral and spring waters are strictly regulated under EU law. Specific legislation applies to the three different categories of bottled water.

Natural Mineral Water

• Directive 2009/54/EC on the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters

Spring Water

• Regulated partly by Directive 2009/54/EC on the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters
• Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption.

Bottled Drinking Water

• Directive 98/83/EC relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption.

Other Regulations on Food Safety and Food Hygiene

• Regulation 178/2002/EC as well as Regulation 852/2004/EC
• Regulation 882/2004/EC 
• Guidelines for the development of EU Guides to Good Practice for hygiene or for the application of the HACCP principles.

Other Applicable Legislation

• Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety
• Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs
• Regulation (EC) No882/2004 on official controls performed to ensure verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare
• Commission Directive 19/2004/EC on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs
• Commission Regulation (EC) No 282/2008 on recycled plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs
• Directive 13/2000 of the European Parliament and the Council relating to the Labelling, Presentation and Advertising of Food Stuffs
• Regulation 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and the Council on Nutrition and Health Claims made on Foods

Codex Alimentarius

Codes and Standards relevant to bottled water:

• Codex Standard for Natural Mineral Waters (108 – 1981 adopted 1981, amendment 2001, revisions 1997, 2008)
• Recommended International Code of Hygienic Practice for the Collecting, Processing and Marketing of Natural Mineral Waters ( CAC/RCP 33-1985, revised 2011)
• General Standard for Bottled/Packaged Drinking Waters (other than Natural Mineral Waters) (227-2001)
• Code of Hygienic Practice for Bottled/Packaged Drinking Waters(other than Natural Mineral Waters) (CAC/RCP 48-2001)

For further information go to: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/standard_list.asp

WHO Guidelines

WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality is the reference basis upon which all bottled waters legislation derive from. These “international norms on water quality and human health in the form of guidelines are used as the basis for regulation and standard setting, in developing and developed countries world-wide”.

Consult the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality – 4th Edition