
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 8, 1995                   TAG: 9511080074
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-17   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

BOTTLED-WATER REGULATIONS TO CLEAR UP MURKY LABELING

Those expensive bottles of water preferred by many over plain old tap will have to come clean about their sources under a new government regulation. And mothers will be told that even bottled water for infants might need to be boiled.

The Food and Drug Administration says its rules ``will promote honesty and fair dealing in the market place.''

``Spring water'' will really have to come from a spring and ``mineral water'' must meet a minimum standard for the amount of minerals it contains. Mineral water previously had been exempt from standards that apply to other bottled waters. The rules will apply to all bottled water sold in the United States.

``When you define these terms, it makes the boundaries clear-cut,'' said Shellee Davis, an FDA food technologist who drafted the regulations.

In this case, the rules are not being imposed on a resisting industry. The International Bottled Water Association, which represents 85 percent of this country's 250 water bottlers, asked the FDA to set some ground rules.

``From our point of view, it sort of raises the bar for the rest of the industry who are not members of the association,'' said Jennifer Levine, the group's director of communications.

Americans consume 2.7 billion gallons of bottled water a year, maintaining a $3 billion industry. California, said Levine, accounts for 30 percent of the total, followed by New York, Florida and Texas.

The FDA proposed the regulations in 1993, sought and received comments, and extended the comment period two more times - once to allow a trade group to conduct a survey on the meaning of ``spring water.'' The outcome of this consideration will be published Monday in the Federal Register and become law in six months.

``Bottled water has had a lot of regulations, quality standards since 1973 and has had good manufacturing practice regulations,'' said Terry Troxell, director of FDA's division of programs and enforcement policy. However, he said, the federal rules will eliminate states' differences in definitions.

The regulation requires accurate labeling of bottled waters marketed for infants.

``If a product is labeled `sterile,' it must be processed to meet FDA's requirements for commercial sterility,'' FDA said.

Bottled water is considered a food and thus falls under FDA jurisdiction.

by CNB