ANSWERS 11/07/1995 BOTTLED WATER IDENTITY STANDARDS FINAL RULE PUBLISHED 

T95-59                                     Judith Foulke
Nov. 7, 1995                               (202) 205-4144

      BOTTLED WATER IDENTITY STANDARDS FINAL RULE PUBLISHED

     FDA is publishing regulations on bottled water that will
promote honesty and fair dealing in the marketplace by providing
standard definitions for the terms "artesian water," "ground
water," "mineral water," "purified water," "sparkling bottled
water," "spring water," "sterile water" and "well water."  They
also bring mineral water under existing quality standards for
bottled water.
     The following may be used to answer questions:
     Bottled water, like all other foods regulated by FDA, must
be processed, packaged, shipped and stored in a safe and sanitary
manner and be truthfully and accurately labeled.  Bottled water
products must also meet specific FDA quality standards for
contaminants.  These are set in response to requirements that the
Environmental Protection Agency has established for tap water.
     The new regulation sets standard definitions for different
types of bottled waters, helping to resolve possible confusion
about what terms like "spring" and "ground" water really mean. 
For example, "spring water" is now defined as water collected as
it flows naturally to the surface, or when pumped through a bore
hole from the spring source.  Water that comes from the bore hole 
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must be the same as that which comes from the spring's natural
orifice.  The regulation allows labeling to describe how the
water came to the surface, for example, "naturally flowed to the
surface, not extracted."
     The regulation also requires mineral water to meet the
bottled water quality standards.  It must come from a protected
underground source and contain at least 250 parts per million in
total dissolved solids.  Mineral water had previously been exempt
from standards that apply to other bottled waters.     
     Besides defining several terms, the regulation addresses
various other labeling concerns.  For example, water bottled from
municipal water supplies must be clearly labeled as such, unless
it is processed sufficiently to be labeled as "distilled" or
"purified" water.
     The regulation also requires accurate labeling of bottled
waters marketed for infants.  If a product is labeled "sterile"
it must be processed to meet FDA's requirements for commercial
sterility.  Otherwise, the labeling must indicate that it is not
sterile and should be used in preparation of infant formula only
as directed by a physician or according to infant formula 
preparation instructions.
     The regulation does not pertain to soft drinks and similar
beverages that do not highlight a water ingredient.  Such         
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beverages must be safe and truthfully labeled, like all other
foods.  However, if the water ingredient is highlighted in any
way, that water must meet bottled water standards.
     A proposal on this subject was published on Jan. 5, 1993. 
The comment period was extended twice -- once to allow a trade
group to conduct a survey on the meaning of "spring water" and
later to allow comment on two surveys that were submitted to FDA. 
FDA received more than 430 comments, most of which were
supportive of the proposal. 
     The rule becomes effective six months after being published
in the Federal Register.
                                
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