Revised bottled water norms introduced

STANDARDS for bottled water have been introduced to reflect changes in European and national legislation on food hygiene.

Irish bottled water was the subject of a health scare three years ago when a draft report by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland found that some water showed traces of E.Coli and coliforms.

The revised standard provides the 26 manufacturers of bottled water in Ireland with specific requirements to assure the safety of bottled water for the consumer.

The industry is worth €190 million in Ireland every year.

The new standards covered the type of permitted treatment, the quality criteria and the labelling.

National Standards Authority of Ireland officer Anne Marie Crowley said the new guidelines were not in response to the contamination scare, but were updates on existing EU rules.

“To get a natural mineral product on the shelf, it is quite a big effort. Your operation has to be pristine clean whereas some of products that are being sold in supermarkets are just basically potable water,” she said.