Relief for packaged water cos as FSSAI defers norms

- Norms for packaged drinking water were postponed in 2022 too

- Calcium should be at 20-75 mg/liter

- Magnesium should be at 30mg/L max

- Total dissolved solids in packaged drinking water should be below 500 mg/liter

New Delhi: The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has granted relief to the business of packaged drinking water (other than mineral water) by postponing the operationalization of its norms regarding total dissolved solids, calcium, and magnesium.

The FSSAI has decided that the norms will be implemented by July 1 or earlier, but not right now. On May 30 last year, it was decided to operationalize Draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations regarding the standards of packaged drinking water (other than mineral water).

However, stakeholders from the industry made representations, seeking a transition period for the implementation of the directions, official sources told Bizz Buzz. Responding to the representations, the FSSAI provided the relaxation.

Packaged drinking water (other than mineral water) is water derived from surface water, underground water, or seawater which is subjected to specified treatments, says a report prepared by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. These include decantation; filtration; a combination of filtration, aeration filtration with membrane filter depth filter, cartridge filter, and activated carbon filtration; demineralization; re-mineralization; and reverse osmosis.

It may be pointed out that the norms for packaged drinking water (other than mineral water) were postponed in 2022 too. Calcium and certain other minerals in water are healthy. Calcium-rich water has a higher pH and better than drinking acidic water. However, calcium in high amounts is the part of hardness, thus undesirable in drinking water. Calcium should not exceed 75 mg per litre. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs found all the brands within the specified limit, but it notified in October 2019 that from July 1, 2020, calcium should be at 20-75 mg/litre.

Magnesium should be at 30mg/L max. The above-mentioned notification prescribed magnesium to be in the range of 10-30 mg/litre.

Total dissolved solids or TDS are directly related to the quality of water purification systems and affect everything that consumes, lives in, or uses water, whether organic or inorganic. As per the Indian standard, TDS in packaged drinking water should be below 500 mg/litre.