Directive 2009/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 5

1. The revivable total colony count of a natural mineral water at source shall conform to its normal viable colony count and give satisfactory evidence of the protection of the source against all contamination. This total colony count shall be determined under the conditions laid down in Annex I, Section II, point 1.3.3.

After bottling, the total colony count at source may not exceed 100 per millilitre at 20 to 22 °C in 72 hours on agar-agar or an agar-gelatine mixture and 20 per millilitre at 37 °C in 24 hours on agar-agar. The total colony count shall be measured within the 12 hours following bottling, the water being maintained at 4 °C ± 1 °C during this 12-hour period.

At source, those values must not normally exceed 20 per millilitre at 20 to 22 °C in 72 hours and 5 per millilitre at 37 °C in 24 hours respectively, on the understanding that they shall be considered as guide figures and not as maximum permitted concentrations.

2. At source and during its marketing, a natural mineral water shall be free from:

(a) parasites and pathogenic micro-organisms;

(b) Escherichia coli and other coliforms and faecal streptococci in any 250 ml sample examined;

(c) sporulated sulphite-reducing anaerobes in any 50 ml sample examined;

(d) Pseudomonas aeruginosa in any 250 ml sample examined.

3. Without prejudice to paragraphs 1 and 2 and the conditions of exploitation laid down in Annex II, at the marketing stage:

(a) the revivable total colony count of a natural mineral water may only be that resulting from the normal increase in the bacterial count which it had at source;

(b) the natural mineral water may not contain any organoleptic defects.