FSSAI working on standards for spring natural water, says CEO

Food regulator FSSAI is tightening safety standards for packaged drinking water and plans to come out with norms for spring natural water, a top official said.
"There is some gap in the safety standards for packaged drinking water. At present there is no standard for spring natural water. We are working on that," FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal told PTI.
The move comes two months after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued notices to state authorities asking them to crack down on mineral water packaging units that are operating without its licence.
Out of total 5,842 registered water packaging units, 1,495 have both BIS and FSSAI licences, while 4,347 units have only BIS certification, the regulator had said.

Last month, the food regulator gave a clean chit to PepsiCo, Coca Cola and Bisleri for their packaged water facilities, while crackdowns are underway on some smaller players operating without valid manufacturing licences.
Packaged water processors need to have BIS certification and FSSAI licence to start their operations.
The regulator is also taking steps to ensure safety and quality in manufacturing of breads. It recently removed potassium bromate from the list of food additives, following a CSE report which claimed that the chemical causes cancer.
FSSAI came into limelight after it banned Maggi noodles as it found excess level of lead in samples. Nestle relaunched Maggi in Indian markets in November 2015.