,"On December 17, 2025, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued an official order outlining a comprehensive Scheme of Testing for Packaged Drinking Water (PDW) and Mineral Water (MW) to ensure continued safety and regulatory compliance following the removal of mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification.
Earlier, on October 17, 2024, FSSAI had gazette-notified the omission of mandatory BIS certification under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction of Sales) Regulations, 2011. As a result, the BIS Certification Mark is no longer required for PDW and MW. To compensate for this change and maintain consumer safety, FSSAI has now introduced a mandatory testing and control framework, effective 1 January 2026.
Under the new scheme, all Food Business Operators (FBOs) manufacturing or marketing packaged drinking water or mineral water must strictly comply with defined testing protocols, record-keeping obligations, and hygiene controls.
Manufacturers are required to maintain complete test records demonstrating conformity with applicable standards. All products must be packed in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, and production facilities must comply with Schedule IV of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, covering Good Manufacturing Practices and hygiene.
For microbiological safety, monthly testing is mandatory for parameters including E. coli, coliform bacteria, faecal streptococci, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, sulphite-reducing anaerobes, yeast and mould, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae, and V. parahaemolyticus. If any microbiological non-compliance is detected, affected batches must be withheld from the market, corrective actions must be taken, and production can resume only after five consecutive compliant batches. Records of such incidents must be retained for at least five years.
For chemical and physical parameters, including heavy metals, minerals, phenolic compounds, sulphides, surface-active agents, and mineral oil, testing must be conducted once every three months. Pesticide residues, both individual and total, must be tested once every six months. If any parameter fails during six-monthly testing, the testing frequency for that parameter must be increased to monthly until three consecutive compliant results are achieved.
All testing must be conducted only in FSSAI-notified NABL-accredited laboratories compliant with ISO/IEC 17025 standards, using methods prescribed in the FSS Manual of Methods or validated international standards such as ISO, AOAC, APHA, ASTM, EPA, or EN.
Strict requirements are also set for source water testing. Source water must be tested for all parameters specified under FSSR 2.10.8 (for PDW) and FSSR 2.10.7 (for MW) before use. Any change in source water or addition of a new source requires full retesting before commercial production can resume. If radioactive residues are detected, the source must be abandoned immediately, products recalled, and FSSAI informed without delay.
The scheme introduces detailed conformity controls for packaging materials, including plastic jars, bottles, pouches, glass bottles, paper-based multilayer cartons, and aluminium cans. Packaging materials must comply with migration limits, material specifications, and performance criteria under the Packaging Regulations, with testing generally required once every six months, and more frequently if suppliers change.
Reused containers are permitted only for plastic containers of 5 litres and above and glass bottles, provided they are durable, cleanable, and disinfectable. Damaged or deformed containers must not be reused.
FSSAI has also prescribed standardized formats for monthly testing reports, six-monthly test records, source water monitoring, and packaging conformity documentation, all of which must be available for inspection.
In cases of repeated non-compliance over consecutive six-month testing cycles, manufacturing units may be subjected to risk-based inspections by FSSAI.
The authority has directed all FBOs, State and UT Food Safety Commissioners, notified laboratories, and licensing authorities to ensure strict implementation of the scheme from January 1, 2026. Non-conforming products must be disposed of safely and separately, with detailed disposal records maintained to prevent any risk to public health."
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