Packaging new national standard for drinking water introduced

On the last day before the new year, the National Health and Family Planning Commission released a new national standard for packaging and drinking water, allowing a wide range of drinking water to have a unified regulatory standard.

The National Food Safety Standard Packaged Drinking Water (GB19298-2014) (hereinafter referred to as the new national standard) that was issued on December 31, 2014 clearly stipulates: This standard replaces the GB19298-2003 "Hydraulic Standard for Drinking Water from Bottles (Barrels)" and GB17323 -1998 "Bottled drinking purified water" and other standards, in order to achieve a unified standard.

The new national standard will be applicable to directly drinking packaged drinking water other than mineral water, thereby bringing the different water categories such as purified water, distilled water, natural water, and spring water on the market into uniform regulatory standards.

A beverage industry source told reporters in the 21st Century Business Herald that the new national standard unifies product standards and hygiene standards. It has strong operability and is more practical. It has different physical and chemical index requirements for different types of water products and is conducive to corporate acceptance and acceptance.

The most important thing is that the new national standard has removed the name "mineral water"; it also requires that "packaged drinking water must not be named by one or several ingredients other than water." Coca-Cola ice mineral water, Kangshi mineral water, Wahaha oxygen-enriched water and so on were the ones most affected.

On January 5, Zhao Yanhong, Director of Public Affairs of Coca-Cola China, told the 21st Century Business Herald reporter that the company knew this and was still studying it. Wei Haiha, the brand director of Wahaha Group, said that the new national standard has an impact, and the company is also in the process of research. After specific rules are issued, it will be done according to national standards.

Master Kong said that Master Kong’s mineral water complies with national standards and has already responded to the new national standard, with little impact on Master Kong.

Although giants such as Coca-Cola, Wahaha, and Master Kong suffered an impact, the new national standard set a transition period and the standard will be implemented on January 1, 2016.

Unified regulatory standards

The new national standard classifies packaged drinking water into drinking water and other drinking water.

At present, pure water, distilled water, natural water, mineral water, oxygen-enriched water, ionized water, and spring water are all on the market. This time, the standards of different water types have been unified. Ma Jinya, secretary-general of the China National Association of Health and Drinking Water Professional Committee, told reporters in the 21st Century Business Herald that the new national standard unified the two groups of drinking water outside the mineral water, and instead of pure water, it was attributed to other types of drinking water, such as minerals. Water, oxygen-enriched water, etc.

The new national standard for packaging drinking water defines the raw materials for water sources. The first requirement is that the water from the public water supply system is the source water for production, and the water quality should meet the requirements of GB5749; the second is the production of surface water or groundwater from a non-public water supply system. With source water, its water quality should meet the hygiene requirements of GB5749 for drinking water sources. After the source water is treated, the quality of food processing water shall comply with the provisions of G5749.

Compared with the “Drinking Water for National Food Safety Standards” publicity proposal published in early March 2014, the new national standard issued by the Health and Family Planning Commission simplifies the classification of packaged drinking water.

In the draft for solicitation, the packaged drinking water is divided into drinking water, natural source drinking water, and other drinking water. Natural sources of drinking water currently include non-mineral water such as mountain spring water and natural water.

In the official new national standard, the natural source drinking water classification was cancelled and it was placed in the category of other drinking water.

Ma Jinya stated that using surface water or groundwater from a non-public water supply system as the source water for production, first of all, its water quality should meet the sanitary requirements of GB5749 for drinking water sources, and then the quality of the processed water after processing should meet the drinking water hygiene standards.

A person in the beverage industry stated that the new national standard now unifies production standards and hygiene standards. Various types of water are included. Enterprises have laws and foundations to comply with. Unlike previous standards, there were no production standards. Benefits, selection criteria, and now the loopholes are blocked.

In addition, the new national standard has revised and changed the previous standard on technical standards.

In terms of physical and chemical indicators, new limit indicators such as carbon tetrachloride, bromate, cyanide, and anionic synthetic detergents have been added. Especially for the bromate index, it is used as a general limit indicator for packaging drinking water. Before, regardless of mineral water or all kinds of packaged drinking water, there is no clear limit to bromate in China.

Mineral water, oxygen-enriched water, etc.

Although the new national standard has not announced the elimination of the "mineral water" water, it has been learned from companies and industries that cancellation is a foregone conclusion; ion water and oxygen-enriched water can no longer be called. Affected by this, including the Coca-Cola Ice Dew, Master Kong and other mineral water, Wahaha oxygen-enriched water and other large companies.

Ma Jinya said that after the mineral water can not be called this name, but it can produce this type of product, because the addition of food additives, can be called drinking water and other names.

The new national standard consultation draft clearly stated: For drinking water containing only food additives in purified water, taking into account the name of “mineral water” makes it easy for consumers to misunderstand that the product has the nutritional function of supplementing minerals and causes misunderstanding among consumers. . Therefore, the name of “drinking mineral water” must not be used after the implementation of this standard.

When adding food additives to packaged drinking water, the new national standard requires that “additional food additives be used to adjust the taste” and similar words should be marked in the vicinity of the product name.

A company official said, "Mineral water will not be marked on the label, and the corresponding packaging will be adjusted, but the water of mineral water is in compliance with national standards."

It is understood that Master Kong Mineral Water and Coca-Cola Ice Dew are both very important bottled aquatic products and have a large market share. Wahaha's oxygen-enriched water is also a product that Wahaha Group strives to create and is promoted through a large number of advertisements.