Water Testing for Packaged Drinking Water (IS: 14543)

Packaged drinking water comes under the category of “food”. It is essentially potable water which has been processed in a water processing & packaging drinking water plant.

Packaged drinking water is nowadays purified by reverse osmosis coupled with UV irradiation to meet the prescribed standards and packed before distribution. It may also be disinfected to a level that will not lead to harmful contamination in the drinking water.

It should be noted that the Food Business Operators (FBOs) need to obtain prior certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) before applying for an FSSAI license. Moreover, the packaged drinking water need to conform to guidelines issued both by the FSSAI and BIS.

The processed water is to be filled in sealed containers of various types/sizes/shapes made from the plastic materials permitted by BIS, suitable for direct consumption without further treatment. The filling & packing of the processed water will be in containers which are tamper proof, tight and impervious, as per the BIS standards.

Some of the Salient Features of the Standards laid down by the BIS are as follows:

• The standard prescribes the use of colorless and transparent containers.
• The standard also prescribes hygienic conditions, which are required to be followed during the collection, processing, handling, packing and marketing of processed water.
• The standard also prescribes that the packaged water is to be labeled properly.
• The standard also prescribes that the Shelf Life of the product shall be declared and marked on the product by the manufacturer based on testing done by an approved lab.

Importantly, packaged drinking water samples need to be tested at regular intervals from an FSSAI notified lab, in order to maintain uniformity in quality and prevent batch to batch variation.

Our state-of-the-art lab has an experienced team of scientists conversant with the latest instrumentation and techniques. Our laboratory is NABL accredited and approved by FSSAI and BIS and we have provision for testing packaged drinking water (IS: 14543) on a regular basis.

Please contact us today using the quick query form on the right or by calling us now on +91-11-45754575 for your water testing requirements.