The bottled water industry is a booming business, with Americans drinking more than 20 million gallons of bottled water a day according to Beverage Marketing Corp. But what labeling requirements must bottled water comply with? The label of any bottled water must indicate the source of the water. If the water has been treated by the bottler, the label must also identify the treatment method. This is to ensure that labels accurately reflect the product and that consumers have consistent information to compare different brands of bottled water.
The Code of Federal Regulations states that “bottled water is water intended for human consumption and that is sealed in bottles or other containers without added ingredients.” The concentration of minerals and trace elements in mineral water may vary due to natural fluctuation cycles, but must remain relatively constant over time. The source labeling provision of the federal standard states that bottled water from a community water system must, unless expressly exempt, carry a label that reads “from a community water system” or “from a municipal source”, as appropriate. The rule continues to further refine the way in which the product can be labeled, which is largely related to the source of the bottled water. Bottled water is the only food for which the FDA has adopted a quality standard in the absence of an identity standard. These requirements are established to ensure that consumers have access to accurate information about their specific brand of bottled water and can make an informed decision about their purchase. With all this information available on bottled water labels, consumers can trust that they are getting what they pay for. Everyone at Water Boy is proud to serve you and we appreciate that you chose us for your bottled water needs.
