Guidelines for Packaged Drinking Water –
Water is an important part of our life. An average human being requires at least 4 litres of water every day, but with water pollution rising, it is difficult to trust the water available for drinking today. To ensure that the packaged water available in the market is safe to drink, the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) has changed the guidelines for packaged drinking water companies from January 1, 2021. From January 1, 2021 packaged drinking water players in the country will to need to ensure that their products contain minerals such as calcium and magnesium in line with the limits set by the food safety authority.
New guidelines from the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will now push all packaged water manufacturers to add 20 mg of calcium and 10 mg of magnesium per litre in all packaging. It’s being called the Taste of India. A new regulation changed the formulation of all packaged drinking water all over India.
According to the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) fourth Amendment Regulations, 2019, the mandatory requirement of calcium and magnesium in packaged drinking water has been set at 20-75 mg/litre and in the range of 10-30 mg/litre respectively.
FSSAI brought in these amendments in response to a direction from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) last year.
Sources in the FSSAI said that the industry is ready to implement these regulations and it has also received representations from the industry appreciating the amendments. Most leading packaged drinking water players are geared up to roll out products with the new formulations, in line with the amended standards, from January 1.
As minerals are considered vital for health, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), had asked the FSSAI to explore the possibility of making a provision for the addition of certain minerals in packaged drinking water. NGT said it was important that minerals removed in the process of water filtration — the essential process to make the water safe for human consumption — are restored for the benefit of consumers who drink packaged drinking water.
The original order from NGT was issued on May 29, 2019. After two extensions to the packaged water companies, the government set the deadline on December 31, 2020.
The new regulation will be implemented from January 1, 2021. The FSSAI has already provided two extensions to facilitate the industry’s transition from the existing formulations to push new products in a market facing growing health concerns and lack of clean drinking water. No further extensions are likely.
Why RO water is harmful?
It has been scientifically confirmed that drinking Reverse Osmosis (RO) water causes more bodily harm and faster than most contaminants found in tap water.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems to purify water are in use extensively. RO system off course removes water impurities. But they also remove 92-99% of beneficial calcium and magnesium!
RO water which doesn’t contain enough minerals, when consumed, leaches minerals from the body. This means that the minerals being consumed in food and vitamins are being urinated away. Less minerals consumed plus more minerals being excreted causes serious negative side effects and big health problems.
