Lucknow: To ensure purity of packaged drinking and mineral water, the UP Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has issued a notice, directing bottling plants to obtain a BIS certificate by Mar 31, 2027. Any new units will be issued a licence or registration only after they get BIS certification.The order was issued by FSDA commissioner Roshan Jacob, who said that any unit found to be operating without a BIS certificate after April 1, 2027, will have its licence and registration suspended and production closed. The order is also applicable to units with central licences, which have also been asked to obtain the BIS licence by Mar 31, 2027.An official from the department said that over the past one year, FSDA inspected 811 packaged drinking water and packaged mineral water manufacturing units and of the 660 samples picked up, 513 did not meet the prescribed quality standards. The samples were found to contain microorganisms such as E. coli, coliform bacteria, yeast and mould. Lapses were noted in compliance, water treatment, the production process and hygiene arrangements.In many units, basic facilities like filters, ultraviolet treatment plants and ozonation were also missing. In some units, work was being done by hand during the production process, which could create hygiene and contamination risks. The FSDA suspended licences or registrations of 152 units and production in these units was shut down until necessary improvements were made.Under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, ISI certification was required for the sale of packaged drinking water and packaged mineral water. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ended this requirement from Oct 18, 2024 and soon, the BIS certification requirement for licensing manufacturing units was also removed.“After this change, the number of packaged drinking water and packaged mineral water manufacturing units in the state increased, and their total number is currently 968. However, inspections and laboratory tests revealed serious deficiencies related to quality, hygiene and treatment systems. In this situation, the department has decided to make the certification system mandatory again, so as to strengthen the quality accountability of production units,” the official added.
