Lok Sabha Question No. 10 (STARRED), answered on 2017-12-15
Subject: Packaged Drinking Water and Mineral Water
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: REKHA ARUN VERMA, BHAVANA GAWALI (PATIL)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 10 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 15 TH DECEMBER, 2017 PACKAGED DRINKING WA TER AND MINERAL WATE R

## *†10. SHRIMATI REKHA VERMA: SHRIMATI BHAVANA PUNDALIK RAO GAWALI PATIL:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether several unlicensed companies are engaged in the production and of poor quality packaged drinking water and mineral water in the coun try;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of complaints receive taken agains them during the last three years and the current year; and
- (c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to standardise the product packageddrinking water and mineral water in the country?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE ( SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA )

- (a)to ( c) : A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 10* FOR 15 TH DECEMBER, 2017

(a): Cases of sale of packaged mineral water/drinking water by unlicensed packages  not  meeting the  prescribed  standards  have  co me  to  the  notice  of  Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Commissioners of Food Safety of States/UTs  are  advised  by  FSSAI  to  undertake  strict  enforcement  activ regular basis against unauthorized manufacture and sale of packaged drinki without FSSAI/BIS mark in States/UTs.

(b): The implementation and enforcement of Food Safety and Standards Act, 20 primarily rests with the State/ UT Governments. R egular surveillance, monitoring, inspection  and  random sampling  of  food  products  is  being  undertaken  by officials  of  Food  Safety  Departments  of  the respective  States/UTs  to  check compliance of the standards laid down under Food Safety and Standards Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. In cases, where the food samples are foun to be non - conforming, recourse is taken to penal provisions under Chapter IX of the Food  Safety  and  Standards  Act,  2006.  As  per  the  information  made  availa by State s/UT  Governments  to  FSSAI,  the  number  of  samples  of  Packaged  Drinki Water/  Mineral  Water  collected,  tested,  found  not  conforming  to  the  pr standards and action taken during the years 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 16 and 2016 - 17 is as under:

| Year     | Total No. of samples taken   | No. of Samples Analysed   | No. of Samples found Misbranded   | No. of Cases Launched   | No. of Cases Launched   | No. of Convictions/ Penalties   | No. of Convictions/ Penalties      |
|----------|------------------------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|---------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|          |                              |                           | adulterated/                      | Criminal                | Civil                   | Convictions                     | Penalties/ Amount raised in Rupees |
| 2014- 15 | 806                          | 734                       | 226                               | 54                      | 76                      | 16                              | 14/ 3,18,000                       |
| 2015- 16 | 745                          | 767                       | 345                               | 37                      | 139                     | 39                              | 64/ 30,49,100                      |
| 2016- 17 | 743                          | 697                       | 224                               | 48                      | 83                      | 33                              | 40/ 7,05,500                       |

(c):  The  standards  of  packaged  mineral  water  and  packaged  drinking  wat (other than mineral water) are prescribed under sub - regulations 2.10.7 and 2.10.8 of  Food  Safety  and  Standards  (Food  product  standards  and  food  Additive Regulations , 2011. As per the sub - regulation 2.3.14 (17) & 2.3.14 (18) of Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011 'No person  shall  manufacture,  sell  or  exhibit  for  sale  packaged  drinking  wat mineral water except under the Bureau of Indian Standards Certification Mark'.

************