The statistics gathered by market research company GlobalData for the year 2019 indicated that bottled water held a steady market share among other packaged non-alcoholic drinks. The top five biggest co
nsumers of bottled water were Italy, Germany, Portugal, Hungary and Spain. 97% of all bottled water sold in EU were either natural mineral water or spring water. Each natural mineral water or spring water has its own unique taste, a unique set of properties and a specific mineral composition. Foodmate will separately introduce the classification, regulations, production and the differences between various bottled waters in EU.
1. Classification and definition of bottled waters
Table 1. Classification and definition of bottled water in EU
2.1 Natural mineral water and Spring water
Commission Directive 2003/40/EC of 16 May 2003 established the list, co
ncentration limits and labeling requirements for the co
nstituents of natural mineral waters and the co
nditions for using ozone-enriched air for the treatment of natural mineral waters and spring waters.
Directive 2009/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009 on the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters updat
ed and replaced Directive 80/777/EEC of 1980. This harmo
nizes the different regulations among member states, stipulating the definition of natural mineral water and spring water, co
nditions for exploitation and marketing of natural mineral water, microbiological requirements and labeling requirements.
Commission Regulation (EU) No 115/2010 of 9 February 2010 laid down the co
nditions for use of activated alumina for the removal of fluoride from natural mineral waters and spring waters.
In addition to complying with the relevant requirements of the above directives and regulations, spring water also needs to comply with the quality standards for Council Directive 98/83/EC of 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption.
2.2 Other bottled water
Other bottled water refers to bottled water other than natural mineral water and spring water, which needs to comply with the relevant provisions of Directive 98/83/EC in the European Unio
n.
3. Production of bottled waters
The production of bottled water in the EU needs to comply with GMP requirements. However, there is no relevant directive for GMP in the bottled water industry. Instead, it is ba
sed on the “Guide to Good Hygienic Practices for Packaged Water in Europe” issued by EFBW.
Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs stipulated the general requirements for food hygiene, requiring food companies to comply with the hygiene specifications required by the regulatory appendix. This is the EU food General hygiene requirements for production. At present, the European Unio
n has not introduced GMP directives related to bottled water, but is produced in accordance with the "Guide to Good Hygienic Practices for Packaged Water in Europe" issued by the European Unio
n Bottled Water Association (EFBW). This guide recommends general and specific hygiene requirements for collecting, processing, packaging, storing, transporting, distributing and selling packaged water.
4. The difference between various bottled waters
The European Unio
n has differences and similarities between natural mineral water, spring water and other bottled water in terms of water source, mineral source, permitted treatment and bottling transport requirements. See Table 2 for details.
Table 2. The difference between various bottled waters
Please note: Original English article of Business Division of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance of Global Foodmate, please indicate the source from the Global Foodmate if reprint.
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