Beverages: Bottled Water Regulation

• Date: November 03, 2009
• Source: www.fda.gov

The Food and Drug  Administration (FDA) is amending its  bottled water regulations to require that  bottled watermanufacturers test source  water for total coliform, as is required  for finished bottled water products, and  to require, if any coliform organisms are  detected in source water, that bottled  water manufacturers determine whether  any of the coliform organisms are  Escherichia coli (E. coli), an indicator of  fecal contamination. FDA also is  amending its bottled water regulations  to require, if any coliform organisms are  detected in finished bottled water  products, that bottled water  manufacturers determine whether any  of the coliform organisms are E. coli.  FDA also is amending the adulteration provision of the bottled water standard  to reflect the possibility of adulteration  caused by the presence of filth. Bottled  water containing E. coli will be  considered adulterated, and source  water containing E. coli will not be  considered to be of a safe, sanitary  quality and will be prohibited from use  in the production of bottled water. FDA  is also amending its bottled water  regulations to require that, before a  bottler can use source water from a  source that has tested positive for E.  coli, the bottler must take appropriate  measures to rectify or eliminate the  cause of E. coli contamination of that  source, and that the bottler must keep  records of such actions. Existing  regulatory provisionsrequire bottled  water manufacturers to keep records of  new testing required by this rule. This  final rule will ensure that FDA’s  standards for the minimum quality of  bottled water, as affected by fecal  contamination, will be no less  protective of the public health than  those set by the Environmental  Protection Agency (EPA) for public  drinking water.

Effective Date: This rule is effective December 1,2009

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