water being poured from bottle
Keeping bottled water safe

NSAI is the responsible authority charged with overseeing the quality, safety and hygiene of Irish bottled water.
 

Types of drinking water

Drinking water can be broken down into two general types:
 
  • Potable water, i.e. tap water and packaged water from rivers, lakes or aquifers which has been treated to reduce contaminants to a safe level
  • Naturally pure water, i.e. natural mineral water and spring water from underground sources which is safe to drink without treatment.
 

Regulations

Potable water is regulated by EU Directive 98/83/EC and is incorporated into Irish Law via:
 
  • S.I. 439/2000 - European Drinking Water Regulations 2000
  • S.I. 79/2005 - European Communities (Natural Mineral Waters, Spring Waters and Other Waters in Bottles Or Containers) Regulations 2005.
Naturally pure water is regulated by:
 
  • EU Directive 80/777/EEC, as amended by Directive 96/70/EC
  • EU Directive 2003/40/EC.
  • These are implemented in Irish Law via S.I. 79/2005.

Specific role of NSAI

NSAI is an official agency of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). We are responsible for quality assurance of bottled water produced in Ireland. Our role includes:
 
  • Assessing and declaring which waters extracted from the ground can be classified as natural mineral waters
  • Permitting companies to exploit, i.e. bottle and place on the market, natural mineral waters from named bore hole exits/extraction points
  • Conducting surveillance of natural mineral waters to confirm their continued compliance with EU Directive 98/83/EC and S.I. 79/2005
  • Renewing permission to exploit natural mineral waters based on our ongoing surveillance inspections
  • Permitting companies to exploit waters from additional bore hole exits/extraction points
  • Confirming the source of natural mineral waters. 

I.S. 432:2005

NSAI has produced a voluntary Irish Standard for packaged water: I.S. 432:2005. This covers water that is placed in a sealed container or package and is offered for sale or supply for human consumption.

 

Find out more

For further information on NSAI’s water-related services and responsibilities, please contact:

Donal McHugh
NSAI Certification,
National Technology Park,
Castletroy,
Limerick

T: +353 61 332 882
E: donal.mchugh@nsai.ie


F: +353 1 807 3838
E: info@nsai.ie
 
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