Another area in which some states have important responsibilities that complement federal regulations is the certification of testing laboratories. As with any food laboratory, the states can perform unannounced inspections of bottled water testing laboratories, and some states perform these annually. As a food product, bottled water must be packaged in sealed, sanitary containers. By law, FDA regulations for bottled water must be no less stringent than the EPA's regulations for tap water. GMPs were mandated by law under the 1962 Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments.
Bottled water is one of only five food products that have GMPs above what is required of all foods.
In compliance with the FDA's standard of quality regulation established in 1974, bottled water manufacturers are also required to ensure that their products adhere to the allowable levels for substances in bottled water, such as those for coliform and lead. Bottled water manufacturers also must ensure that their products meet the FDA established standard of identity for bottled water products, which was established in 1996. There are definitions for bottled water, drinking water, artesian water, ground water, distilled water, deionized water, mineral water, reverse osmosis water, purified water, sparkling bottled water, spring water, sterile water and well water. If a bottled water is misbranded, it is subject to recall. To ensure that bottled water is regulated in a manner similar to tap water, the FDA must review all new regulations for tap water to determine if they are applicable to bottled water.