Lok Sabha Question No. 4032 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-04
Subject: Quality of Packaged Drinking Water
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: BANSHILAL MAHTO, NISHIKANT  DUBEY, RAJESH PANDEY

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

LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4032 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04 TH JANUARY, 2019

## QUALITY OF PACKAGED DRINKING WATER

## 4032. DR. BANSHILAL MAHATO: SHRI NISHIKANT DUBEY: SHRI RAJESH PANDEY:

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

- (a) whether several companies are serving poor quality/unlicensed bottled drinking water/mineral water in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the number of complaints received during each of the last three years including the action taken by the Government in such cases;
- (c) whether the Government has formulated any norms and developed any mechanism to monitor thequality of packaged drinking water and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to sure the standardisation of production and supply of good quality bottled drinking water in the country?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) &(b): Yes.Instances of sale of packaged drinking water/mineral water not meeting t prescribed standards have come to the notice of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). As the responsibility of enforcement of Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, primarily lies with States/UTs. Commissioners of Food Safety of States/UTs have been adv by  FSSAI  from  time  to  time  to  undertake s rict  enforcement  activities  against  unauthorised manufacture  and  sale  of  packaged  drinking  water  without  FSSAI/BIS  mark  in  States/U Governments.

As per the information received from State/UT Governments (barring some), the deta about  number  of  samp les  of  packaged  drinking water/mineral  water  analysed,  found  non -conforming and action taken  against defaulting Food Business Operators (FBOs) during three years  is as under:

| Year     |   no. of samples analysed |   no. of samples found -non c for - ming |   no. of launched against | cases No. of convic - tions/ penalties   |
|----------|---------------------------|------------------------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 2015- 16 |                       767 |                                      345 |                       176 | 39/64                                    |
| 2016- 17 |                       697 |                                      224 |                       131 | 33/40                                    |
| 2017- 18 |                      1123 |                                      496 |                       246 | 97/135                                   |

(c) to (e): The  standards  of  packaged  drinking  water  (other  than  mineral  water)  ar prescribed under sub -regulations 2.10.8 of Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. As per the sub - regulation 2.3.14 (17) of Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations,  2011  ' No  person  shall manufacture, sell or exhibit for sale packaged drinking water except under the Bureau of Standards Certification Mark'

Further,  to  ensure  the  availability  of  safe  and  wholesome  food,  regular  surveil monitoring, inspection and random sampling of food products including packaged drinking wa are being carried out by the Officials of Food Safety Departments of the res pective States/UTs. In  cases  where  the  foods  samples  are  found  non - conforming,  recourse  is  taken  to  penal provisions specified under FSS Act, 2006 which may extend to imprisonment for life.