The Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010

Title and commencement E+W+S

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 and come into force on 9th April 2010.

Amendment of the Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (England) Regulations 2007 E+W+S

2.  The Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (England) Regulations 2007 M1 are further amended in accordance with regulations 3 to 9.

Marginal Citations

M1 S.I. 2007/2785, amended by S.I. 2009/1598.

3.  In paragraph (1) of regulation 2 (interpretation)—

(a) immediately after the definition of “the Agency” there is inserted the following definition—

““authorised activated alumina treatment” means—

(a)

a treatment of natural mineral water and spring water with activated alumina in order to remove fluoride, that has been authorised in accordance with Schedule 1A; or

(b)

in the case of natural mineral water or spring water brought into England from another part of the United Kingdom or from another EEA state, a treatment which complies with Articles 1 to 3 of Regulation 115/2010;”; and

(b) immediately after the definition of “prescribed concentration or value” there is inserted the following definition—

““Regulation 115/2010” means Commission Regulation (EU) No. 115/2010 laying down the conditions for use of activated alumina for the removal of fluoride from natural mineral waters and spring waters; ”.M2

Marginal Citations

M2 OJ No. L37, 10.2.2010, p.13.

4.  For paragraph (1) of regulation 6 (treatments and additions for natural mineral water) there is substituted the following paragraph—

“(1) No person shall subject natural mineral water in its state at source to—

(a) any treatment other than—

(i) an authorised ozone-enriched air oxidation technique,

(ii) the separation of its unstable elements, such as iron and sulphur compounds, by filtration or decanting, whether or not preceded by oxygenation, in so far as the treatment does not alter the composition of the water as regards the essential constituents which give it its properties,

(iii) the total or partial elimination of free carbon dioxide by exclusively physical methods, or

(iv) an authorised activated alumina treatment; or

(b) any addition other than the introduction or the re-introduction of carbon dioxide to produce effervescent natural mineral water.”.

5.  Immediately after paragraph (2) of regulation 10 (bottling of spring water and exploitation of spring water springs) there is inserted the following paragraph—

“(2A) No person shall cause any water which has been treated with activated alumina for removal of fluoride to be bottled in a bottle marked or labelled “spring water”, unless that treatment is an authorised activated alumina treatment.”.

6.  For paragraph (3) of regulation 16 (enforcement) there are substituted the following paragraphs—

“(3) Each relevant authority shall, within its area, carry out periodic checks on any authorised activated alumina treatment in respect of which the authorisation was granted by it in accordance with Schedule 1A, to ensure that the requirements of that Schedule continue to be satisfied.

(4) Each food authority shall, within its area, execute and enforce these Regulations.

(5) For the purposes of carrying out the function referred to in paragraph (4) in relation to bottled drinking water and spring water each food authority shall—

(a) subject to paragraph (6), carry out regular monitoring of the quality of any such water to check whether—

(i) it satisfies the requirements of Directive 98/83,

(ii) it contains a concentration or value for any parameter in excess of its prescribed concentration or value,

(iii) it contains a concentration or value for a property, element, substance or organism set out in Schedule 9 (as read with the Notes to that Schedule) in excess of the concentration or value specified in relation to the property, element, substance or organism concerned in that Schedule as measured by the unit of measurement so specified,

(iv) in the case where, in accordance with sub-paragraph (iii), a food authority determines that the water concerned contains a concentration or value for Clostridium perfringens (including spores) in excess of the concentration or value specified in relation to it in Schedule 9 (as read with Note 2 to that Schedule), there is any potential danger to human health arising from the presence in the water of pathogenic micro-organisms, and

(v) in the case where disinfection forms part of the preparation or distribution of the water concerned, the disinfection treatment applied is efficient and any contamination from disinfection by-products is kept as low as is possible without compromising the disinfection;

(b) in order to comply with sub-paragraph (a)—

(i) carry out regular check monitoring in relation to the parameters, properties, elements, substances and organisms set out in Schedule 10, as read with the Notes to that Schedule, and

(ii) carry out audit monitoring in relation to any parameter and the properties, elements, substances and organisms set out in Schedule 9, as read with the Notes to that Schedule;

(c) for the purposes of sub-paragraph (b), carry out sampling and analysis in accordance with the relevant minimum frequencies set out in Schedule 11; and

(d) carry out additional monitoring in relation to any property, element, substance or organism which is neither a parameter nor a property, element, substance or organism set out in Schedule 9 if the food authority has reason to suspect that it may be present in the water concerned in an amount or number which constitutes a potential danger to human health.

(6) The checks and monitoring referred to in paragraph (5)(a), (b) and (d) shall be carried out using samples representative of the quality of the water concerned consumed throughout the year in which the samples are taken.”.

7.  For regulation 20 (offences and penalties) there is substituted the following regulation—

“Offences and penalties

20.— (1) A person is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale if that person —

(a) contravenes regulation 5, 6(1), 7(1), (3) or (4), 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 or 22(3);

(b) fails to comply with any provision of Regulation 115/2010 specified in paragraph (2); or

(c) carries out an authorised activated alumina treatment that has a disinfectant action.

(2) The provisions are—

(a) Article 1.2 (requirement that authorised activated alumina treatments be performed in accordance with the technical requirements set out in the Annex);

(b) the first sentence of Article 2 (requirement that the release of residues into natural mineral water or spring water as a result of any authorised activated alumina treatment be as low as technically feasible according to the best practices and not pose a risk to public health);

(c) the second sentence of Article 2 (requirement that, to ensure compliance with the first sentence of Article 2, operators implement and monitor the critical processing steps set out in the Annex);

(d) Article 3.1 (requirement that the application of an authorised activated alumina treatment be notified to the competent authorities at least three months prior to use); and

(e) Article 4 as read with the second paragraph of Article 5 (requirement that, subject to a transitional provision, the label on natural mineral water or spring water subjected to any authorised activated alumina treatment include specified information in proximity to the statement of the analytical composition).”.

8.  Immediately after Schedule 1 (conditions for treatment of natural mineral water and spring water with ozone-enriched air) there is inserted the Schedule set out in Schedule 1 to these Regulations.

9.  Immediately after Schedule 8 (labelling indications for natural mineral water and criteria for use) there are added the Schedules set out in Schedule 2 to these Regulations.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Health

Gillian Merron

Minister of State,

Department of Health