Bottled Water Regulation

Abstract: The hearing is the first on the activities of the bottled water industry and on the regulation of the industry by the Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition of the Food and Drug Admonistration. It addresses the inadequacies in the FDA's regulation of bottled water.

This report stresses that the consumer should expect and get clear and sufficient information regarding bottled water products. The group urged that bottled water should be subject to the same standards as public water supplies, all types of bottled water should be regulated, imported water should be as safe as domestic water, and that labelling should convey certain information.

Over the past decade, per capita consumption of bottled water in the U.S. has more than doubled. With this increase have come several concerns in recent years about the safety, quality, and environmental impacts of bottled water. The FDA regulates bottled water as a food and is responsible for ensuring that domestic and imported bottled water is safe and truthfully labeled. This report: (1) evaluated the extent to which FDA regulates and ensures the quality and safety of bottled water; (2) evaluated the extent to which fed. and state authorities regulate the accuracy of labels and claims regarding the purity and source of bottled water; and (3) identified the environmental and other impacts of bottled water. Includes recommendations. Illustrations.

Over the past decade, the consumption of bottled water in the U.S. has more than doubled -- from 13 gall./person in 1997 to 29 gall./person in 2007. With this increase have come several concerns over bottled water's quality and safety. For ex., bottled water does not necessarily have lower levels of contamination than tap water. Several org. have raised concerns about a low recycling rate for plastic water bottles. This testimony addresses three issues: (1) the extent to which fed. and state authorities regulate the quality of bottled water to ensure its safety; (2) the extent to which fed. and state authorities regulate the accuracy of labels or claims re: the purity and source of bottled water; and (3) the environmental impacts of bottled water.