Bisleri Mineral Water High Risk Food Says FSSAI

India’s packaged water industry, an industry worth crores of rupees, has to face a new change altogether. Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) classified packaged drinking water and mineral water-some popular brands are-considered high-risk foods.

It will impose the highest regulatory conditions, annual visits, and audits to create the standard for public health. Here’s a closer examination of what this shift means to the consumer, business, and beyond.

Understanding the High-Risk Food Classification

High-risk food is defined by FSSAI as products that could get contaminated easily and required stronger safety measures. Except for packaged drinking water, following food categories are also a high-risk food category:

1. Dairy products.

2. Meat and poultry

3. Fish and seafood

4. Eggs and egg products

5. Ready to eat foods and Indian sweets

6. Food for special dietary use

7. Fortified rice kernels.

These products are identified for their potential in causing health hazards if not monitored properly. For packaged water, risks of contamination come from inadequate purification processes, substandard packaging, and lapses in storage.

Why Packaged Water Was Reclassified

The latest development is from the October 2024 order of the Indian government to depute BIS mandatory certification for packaged drinking water. The responsibility without BIS has been solely shouldered by FSSAI, thus it aims to simplify procedures and tighten safety protocol enforcements.

Inclusion of Packaged water in the high-risk category depicts its integral place in public health. Clean drinking water remains inaccessible in most parts of India. Millions do consume bottled water. Any compromise regarding safety will spark a major health issue.

New Compliance Requirements for Manufacturers

 Manufacturers must ensure the following as included under the high-risk category:

Annual Third-Party Audits: All enterprises have to be audited by thirdparty agencies approved by FSSAI. The audits are for assessing safety and hygiene regulations.

Forced Inspection : There will be constant observation of compliance with all the regulations related to the safety, before an issuance of reissuance of licence

Bigger Quality Checks :The ban on spurious products and improper methods used to remove water impurities is being eradicated.

While some of the best brands like Bisleri, Aquafina, and Kinley will not face any problem, some smaller players will have a problem due to lack of resources.

Boom but Challenging Industry

Market Size and Growth

India’s packaged drinking water industry is booming. The market generates over 30 billion liters currently, and the valuation has been estimated to reach around ₹400 billion by 2025. This development is mainly because of increasing urbanization, rising disposable income, and concerns over unsafe tap water. Dominated by major brands, an unorganized and small-scale business has a significant share of the market.

Geographic Dynamics

Bottling plants have mainly been concentrated in the south with more than 55% production, while the western region constitutes 40% of sales. Yet regional differences in mineral contents and taste have made standardization difficult.

Consumer Behavior

Indian consumers perceive bottled water as safer compared to municipal supplies. However, most of the times, the confidence placed in the product is misplaced since most of the products sold are counterfeit. Strengthening safety standards will thus be important for restoring consumer confidence.

Benefits of the New Regulations

The FSSAI initiative will yield a number of benefits:

Consumer Safety: Through frequent audits and inspections, contamination risks will be reduced and safe drinking water will be availed to consumers.

Curbing Counterfeit Products: Stricter monitoring will reduce the circulation of fake or substandard bottled water, which has been a persistent problem in the industry.

Global Standards: Aligning with international best practices will help India’s packaged water industry improve its reputation globally.

Sarika Baheti, a water industry expert, believes these measures will bring about significant improvements. “It’s a great move to enhance safety standards,” she says, although she acknowledges the implementation challenges, especially for small players.

Challenges for Implementation

1. Compliance Costs for Smaller Players

India’s packaged water business has more than 6,000 licensed bottling plants and many hundreds of unlicensed operators.

The big companies will pass on the compliance costs to customers, but the smaller manufacturers may not be in a position to comply with such standards. This could be detrimental to uniform implementation.

2. Not Informed

Consumer education is another critical concern. Many consumers are uninformed about the safety aspect associated with high-risk foods and still buy non-certified food products.

3. Regional Variations

Mineral content varies across India, making it a bit complex to achieve uniform compliance. For instance, the south contributes most to production but differs in mineral profiles from the north or west.

4. Fake Bottled Water

India is home to one of the biggest problems of counterfeit water products. Fake brands exploit consumer trust, which is one reason why robust monitoring is essential.

What It Means for Consumers

For consumers, this move of FSSAI again brings importance to vigilance in buying bottled water. The important take-aways are,

Look for Certifications: Ensure the product is licensed and audited under FSSAI guidelines.

Avoid Counterfeit Brands: Always prefer genuine brands to avoid risks.

Understand Labeling: Learn to identify what is being presented on the label that may comply with standards of safety.

Reclassification of bottled and packaged drinking water as a high-risk product marks an important step forward to ensure public health, though its success depends much upon effective enforcement and cooperation on the part of industry.

Policymakers would do well to look into difficulties experienced by small-scale manufacturers, increasing consumer awareness to augment impact of such measures.

As the industry makes adjustments to these changes, the consumers will look forward to a safer and more reliable option for packaged water. For now, it is a critical milestone in the march of India toward better food safety standards.