The Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015

PART 3 N.I. Water intended to be sold as “spring water”

Exploitation of springs and bottling of water intended to be labelled and sold as “spring water” N.I.

14.—(1) A person must not bottle water intended to be labelled and sold as “spring water” unless—

(a) the water has been extracted from a spring and is bottled at source;

(b) the water is intended for human consumption in its natural state;

(c) the requirements of Schedule 4 are met; and

(d) the water meets the requirements of Schedule 7.

(2) Where it is found during exploitation that water from a spring is polluted and that bottling of the water would contravene paragraphs 6, 7 or 8 of Schedule 4, a person must not exploit the spring from which the water is extracted until the cause of the pollution is eradicated and the bottling of the water would comply with those paragraphs.

Treatments and additions for water intended to be labelled and sold as “spring water” N.I.

15.—(1) A person must not subject any water intended to be labelled and sold as “spring water” in its state at source to—

(a) any treatment other than—

(i) 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;

(ii) the total or partial elimination of free carbon dioxide by exclusively physical methods;

(iii) a fluoride removal treatment which is authorised in accordance with Schedule 2; or

(iv) an ozone-enriched air treatment which is authorised in accordance with Schedule 3;

(b) any addition other than the introduction or the re-introduction of carbon dioxide; or

(c) any disinfection treatment by whatever means, or, subject to paragraph (1)(b) the addition of bacteriostatic elements, or any other treatment likely to change the viable colony count of the water.

Labelling of water as “spring water” N.I.

16.—(1) A person must not label a bottle of water as “spring water” unless the water contained in it—

(a) meets the requirements of regulation 14(1); and

(b) if treated, has undergone a treatment or addition permitted under regulation 15.

(2) If a bottle of water is labelled as “spring water” a person must not label that bottle with a trade description which—

(a) includes the name of a locality, hamlet or other place, unless that trade description refers to water, the spring of which is exploited at the place indicated by that name and is not misleading as regards the place of exploitation of the spring; or

(b) is different from the name of the spring or the place of its exploitation unless the name of the spring or the place of exploitation is also labelled on the bottle, using letters at least one and a half times the height and width of the largest of the letters used for that trade description.

(3) A person must not label a bottle of water as “spring water” unless the bottle is also labelled with—

(a) the name of the place where the spring is exploited;

(b) the name of the spring; and

(c) where the water has undergone an ozone-enriched air treatment, the words “water subjected to an authorised ozone-enriched air oxidation technique”, which must appear in proximity to the particulars referred to in subparagraphs (a) and (b).

Advertising of water as “spring water” N.I.

17.—(1) Where in accordance with regulation 16(2)(b), a bottle of water is required to be labelled with the name of the spring or its place of exploitation in addition to a trade description—

(a) the same requirement also applies to any written advertisement for that water; and

(b) in any other advertisement, at least equivalent prominence must be given to the place of exploitation or the name of the spring as is given to the trade description.

(2) A person must not advertise a bottle of water as “spring water” in contravention of paragraph (1).

Sale of water as “spring water” N.I.

18.—(1) A person must not sell water which is bottled and labelled as “spring water” if it—

(a) does not meet the requirements of regulation 14(1);

(b) has been subjected to a treatment or addition in contravention of regulation 15;

(c) is labelled in contravention of regulation 16; or

(d) is advertised in contravention of regulation 17.

(2) A person must not sell water from the same spring labelled as “spring water” under more than one trade description.