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What are the different types of bottled water? How do I know my bottled water is safe? How is bottled water different from tap water? I've read about the parasite Cryptosporidium being found in tap water. What is it? How do I know that Cryptosporidium is not in my bottled water? Do imported waters have to meet the same federal, state and industry regulations as bottled water? Is bottled water regulated differently from tap water? Does bottle water contain any chlorine or harmful chemicals? How long can I store bottled water? What is the proper way to store bottled water? How can I find out if the bottled water that I drink is a member of IBWA?
What
is bottled water? Return to top What
are the different types of bottled water? Artesian Water/Artesian Well Water: Bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand) in which the water level stands as some height above the top of the aquifer. Mineral Water: Bottled water containing not less than 250 parts per million total dissolved solids may be labeled as mineral water. Mineral water is distinguished from other types of bottled water by its constant level and relative proportion of mineral and trace elements at the point of emergence from the source. No minerals can be added to this product. Purified
Water: Water that has been produced by distillation, deionization,
reverse osmosis or other suitable processes and that meets the definition
of purified water in the United States Pharmacopia may be labeled
as purified bottle water. Other suitable product names for bottled
water treated by one of the above processes may include "distilled
water" if it is produced by distillation, "deionized water"
if the water is produced by deionization, or "reverse osmosis
water" if the process used is reverse osmosis. Alternatively
" Sparkling Bottled Water: Water that after treatment, and possible replacement with carbon dioxide, contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had an emergence from the source. (An important note: soda water, seltzer water and tonic water are not considered bottled waters. They are regulated separately, may contain sugar and calories, and considered soft drinks.) Spring Water: Bottled water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth. Spring water must be collected only at the spring or through a borehole tapping the underground formation finding the spring. There must be a natural force causing the water to flow to the surface through a natural orifice. Spring water collected with the use of external force must be from the same underground stratum as the spring and must have all the physical properties, before treatment, and be of the same composition and quality as the water flows naturally to the surface of the earth. Well Water:
Bottled water from a hole bored, drilled or otherwise constructed
in the ground, which taps the water of an aquifer. Return to top
How
do I know my bottled water is safe? Return to top
How
is bottled water different from tap water? Another noticeable
quality difference is that bottled water does not contain any chlorine.
In place of chlorine, some bottlers use ozone, a form of oxygen
or ultraviolet light as the final disinfecting agent. Chlorinated
water sometimes contains an off taste, and many consumers prefer
the taste of bottled water where no trace of chlorine is found. Return to top
I've
read about the parasite Cryptosporidium being found in tap water.
What is it? Return to top
How
do I know that Cryptosporidium is not in my bottled water? There are two types of sources from which bottled water can be drawn: the first type are natural sources (i.e., springs and wells). By law, their sources must be protected from surface intrusion and other environmental influences. This requirement ensures that surface water contaminates such, as Cryptosporidium and Giardia are not present. The second source water type is approved potable municipal supplies. Bottled water companies that use these sources reprocess this water using methods such as distillation, reveres osmosis, deionization and filtration. This ensures that the finished product is very different-in composition and taste-from the original source water. All IBWA member
companies that use municipal supplies are encouraged to employ at
least one of the three processing methods recommended by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for effective removal of
microbial (surface water) contaminates, including Cryptosporidium.
These processing methods are reverse osmosis, one micron absolute
filtration and distillation. Return to top
Is
bottled water regulated? 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 purchased is stringently regulated, tested and of the highest quality. The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) has been a long-standing proponent or additional federal regulations for bottle water and has been very active at all levels of local, state and federal government assisting in the development of such regulations. Federal Regulations: Bottled water is regulated as a food product by the FDA. Bottled water companies must adhere to the FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices, Quality Standards and Standards of Identity. 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 Regulations (CFR). These standards, along with the FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices, ensure the safety of all bottled water products from production to packaging to consumption. Labeling Regulations: FDA's labeling rules for bottled water establish standards of identity and standardized definitions for terms found on bottled water labels such as "spring" "artesian," "well," "mineral," purified" and "distilled." Seltzer, soda water and tonic water are considered soft drinks; therefore, they are excluded from these regulations. Good Manufacturing Practices: Bottled water is subject to both General Food Good Manufacturing practices (GMPs) and GMPs specific to bottled water processing and bottling. General food GMPs govern such areas as plant and ground maintenance, sanitary maintenance of buildings and fixture, and sanitary facilities, including water supply, plumbing and sewage disposal. Bottled water GMPs provide detailed regulations governing plant construction and design, sanitary facilities and operations, equipment design and construction, production and processing of bottled drinking water and record keeping. European Union: All European exporters must meet the federal and state standards as applicable. They must also meet strict standards set by the European Union. International bottler members that sell products in the U.S. must submit a certificate of inspection to IBWA. State Standards: In addition to FDA's extensive regulatory requirements, the bottled water industry is subject to state regulatory requirements as well. A significant responsibility of the state is inspecting, sampling, analyzing and approving sources of water. Under the federal GMP's, only approved sources of water can be used to supply a bottling plant. Another area in which some states have important responsibilities that complement federal regulation is the certification of testing laboratories. As with any food establishment, the states perform unannounced spot inspections, and some states perform annual inspections. IBWA Standards: Third-party Inspections: In addition to the state and federal standards for bottled water, IBWA bottler members are subject to another level of oversight. As a condition of membership, bottlers must submit to an annual, unannounced plant inspection administered by an independent, internationally recognized third-party inspecting organization. This inspection audits quality and testing records; reviews all areas of plant operation from source through finished product; and checks compliance with FDA Quality Standards and Good Manufacturing Practices and any state regulations. IBWA Model
Code: IBWA has established a quality assurance program, a strict
set of standards called the Model Code. The Model Code establishes
tougher requirements than federal and state authorities. Return to top
Do
imported waters have to meet the same federal, state and industry
regulations as bottled water? Return to top
Is
bottled water regulated differently from tap water? Return to top
Does
bottle water contain any chlorine or harmful chemicals? Return to top
How
long can I store bottled water? Return to top
What
is the proper way to store bottled water? Return to top
How
can I find out if the bottled water that I drink is a member of
IBWA? Return to top
What
is IBWA? For more
information, call or write:
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