What's Inside

Bottled Water

Both the Food and Drug Administration and state agencies strictly regulate bottled water products. FDA standards are up to those set by the Environmental Protection Agency for public water systems, meaning all bottled water sold in the United States meets stringent standards regarding safety, quality and labeling.

According to the FDA, bottled water is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR 165.110) as water that contains no added ingredients, except for optional antimicrobial agents or fluoride. Therefore, manufacturers cannot add any other ingredients to their bottled water products and still call them "bottled water" (or "mineral water" or "purified water"). The name of a product with ingredients added must include the added ingredient, such as "bottled water with minerals added" or "bottled water with raspberry flavor." The resulting product is a multicomponent beverage and must bear an ingredient list on the label or labeling. If the water ingredient is highlighted as a bottled water, such as spring water, the water ingredient must comply with FDA's bottled water regulations.