Bottled mineral waters have been consumed for many years either as a ‘safe’ form of water in areas where mains supplies are of dubious quality or because of the perceived therapeutic effects of minerals present.
The perception of therapeutic properties stems historically from the great spas and the association of certain water sources with cure, or alleviation, of specific diseases such as liver complaints.
Therapeutic properties were usually associated with the mineral content of the waters although more esoteric properties such as naturally occurring radioactivity were also considered beneficial.
Natural mineral water is a water clearly distinguishable from ordinary drinking water because:
- It is characterized by its content of certain salts and their relative proportions and of the trace elements or of other constituents.
- It is obtained directly from natural or drilled sources from underground water-bearing strata.
- It is constant in composition and stable in discharge and temperature (due account being taken of the cycles of natural fluctuations).
- It is collected under conditions which guarantee the original bacteriological purity.
- It is bottled close to the emergence of the source with particular hygienic precautions.
- It is not subjected to any treatment other than those permitted by the standard.
- It is conformity with all the provisions laid down in this standard.
Requirements for Natural Mineral Waters
