Natural mineral water not only captivates consumers with its unique taste but has also become an important commodity in international trade.However,faced with strict standards and complex labeling requirements in various countries,how can companies ensure that mineral water products circulate legally and compliantly in international markets?This guide will interpret thekey requirements for mineral water,helping you navigate the global market with ease!

When exporting or importing natural mineral water for drinking,companies must pay attention to product classification,applicable standards,and labeling requirements to ensure compliance with the regulations of the destination country or region.Below is a detailed explanation of each part:

Classification of Natural Mineral Water for Drinking

Natural mineral water for drinking can be classified into sparkling natural mineral water,carbonated natural mineral water,still natural mineral water,and degassed natural mineral water based on differences in carbon dioxide content and source.

1.1 Classification based on carbon dioxide content

Output:

• Sparklingnaturalmineralwater:Containshighcarbondioxidecontent,allowingforrecoveryandrefillingofhomologouscarbondioxide.Afterbottling,itnaturallyreleasescarbondioxideundernormaltemperatureandpressure,producingvisiblebubbles.
• Carbonatednaturalmineralwater::Bubblesareproducedbyaddingfoodadditive(carbondioxide),withbubblesresultingfromtheaddedcarbondioxide.
• Stillnaturalmineralwater::Afterpackaging,thefreecarbondioxidecontentdoesnotexceedtheminimumrequiredtomaintainbicarbonatedissolution,typicallywithnovisiblebubbles.
• Degassednaturalmineralwater::Aftercollectionfromthesource,carbondioxideisremovedthroughprocessing,withnonaturallyreleasedcarbondioxideundernormaltemperatureandpressureafterpackaging.

1.2 Classification based on carbon dioxide source

Output:

• Sparklingnaturalmineralwater::Carbondioxideoriginatesfromthenaturalmineralwateritself,allowingforrecoveryandrefillingofhomologouscarbondioxideduringprocessing.
• Carbonatednaturalmineralwater::Carbondioxideoriginatesfromexternallyaddedfood-gradecarbondioxide,notfromcomponentsinnaturalmineralwater.

Differences Between Mineral Water and Other Packaged Drinking Water

2.1 Different applicable standards

Output:

• MineralWater:ApplicablestandardisGB8537-2018NationalFoodSafetyStandardforDrinkingNaturalMineralWater.Thisstandardimposesstrictrequirementsonthemineralcomposition,microbiologicalindicators,etc.ofmineralwatertoensureitsnaturalnessandsafety.
• OtherPackagedDrinkingWater:ApplicablestandardisGB19298-2014NationalFoodSafetyStandardforPackagedDrinkingWater.Thisstandardappliestoallbottleddrinkingwaterexceptmineralwater,specifyingitsphysicochemicalandmicrobiologicalindicatorsandpollutantlimits,butwithoutspecificrequirementsformineralcontent.

2.2 Different raw material sources

Output:

• MineralWater:Mustoriginatefromuncontaminatednaturalwatersourcesdeepunderground,obtainedthroughnaturaloutflowordrilling,preservingitsnaturalmineralsandtraceelements.
• OtherPackagedDrinkingWater:Sourcesaremorediverse,includingtreatedwaterfrompublicwatersupplysystems,surfacewater,orgroundwater.

2.3 Different labeling requirements

Output:

• MineralWater:Mustindicatethewatersourcelocation,boundaryindicators,totaldissolvedsolids,andthecontentrangeofmajorcations.Whenfluoridecontentexceeds1.0mg/L,thelabelmustincludethephrasecontainsfluoride.
• OtherPackagedDrinkingWater:NotrequiredtomeetthelabelingrequirementsformineralwaterbutmustcomplywithGB7718-2011NationalFoodSafetyStandardforGeneralRulesfortheLabelingofPrepackagedFoodsandmaybeexemptfromGB28050-2011NationalFoodSafetyStandardforNutritionLabelingofPrepackagedFoods.

National Standards for Natural Mineral Water for Drinking in China

3.1 Limit requirements

Output:

• GB8537-2018NationalFoodSafetyStandardforDrinkingNaturalMineralWater:Specifiesmultiplesensoryindicators,limitindicators,pollutantindicators,andmicrobiologicalindicators,totaling39requirements,includingspecificlimitsforselenium(seleniumcontentmustbebetween0.01and0.05mg/L).

3.2 Other requirements

Output:

• SourceApprovalandAuthorization:Naturalmineralwatersourcesmustbeapprovedandauthorizedbylocalauthorities,withtheapprovalprocessincludinghydrogeologicalstudiestoensurethesafetyandsuitabilityofthesource.
• ProductionHygieneandSourceMonitoring:ProductionmustcomplywithGMPrequirements(GB19304HygienicSpecificationsfortheProductionofPackagedDrinkingWater)andundergostrictwaterqualitymonitoring,includingsensoryindicators,mineralcontent,microbiologicalindicators,etc.
• TreatmentProcesses:Allowstheuseofaeration,filtration,andothermethodstoremoveunstablecomponentsbutprohibitstheuseofchemicalmethodstoalterthewatersnaturalproperties.
• PackagingLocation:Productsmustbepackagednearthewatersource,andtransportingsourcewatertoanotherlocationforbottlingisnotpermitted.
• LabelingRequirements:MustcomplywiththegenerallabelingrequirementsofGB7718-2011,whilealsoindicatingthewatersourcelocation,productcomplianceindicators,totaldissolvedsolids,andthecontentrangeofmajorcations.

EU Standards and Indicators for Natural Mineral Water

4.1 Basic provisions of EU standards

Output:

• 2009/54/ECDirective:TheEUsdefinitionofnaturalmineralwaterrequiresittobemicrobiologicallysafe,sourcedfromgroundwaterorreservoirs,andobtainedfromnaturalordrilledoutlets.Thedirectivemandatesthatnaturalmineralwatermustretainitscharacteristicmineralcompositionandpurityinitsoriginalstate.

4.2 Classification

Output:

• NaturallyCarbonatedNaturalMineralWater:Containsoriginalcarbondioxidegasinitsnaturalstate.
• NaturalMineralWaterFortifiedwithSpringGas:Duringbottlingorfilling,thesame-sourcecarbondioxidegasisrecoveredandreplenished.
• CarbonatedNaturalMineralWater:Bubblesareproducedbyexternallyaddedcarbondioxide.

4.3 EU limit standards

Output:

• MicrobiologicalStandards:Includelimitsforparasitesandpathogenicbacteria(e.g.Escherichiacoli,fecalstreptococci,anaerobicsulfite-reducingclostridia,Pseudomonasaeruginosa,etc.).
• PhysicochemicalIndicatorLimits:19physicochemicalindicators,includingmaximumallowablevaluesforminerals,metals,andotherchemicalcomponents.TheEUstandardsparticularlyemphasizemicrobiologicalsafetyrisks,with9specificmicrobiologicalindicators.

Suggestions for Import and Export Enterprises

5.1 Comply with the relevant standard limit requirements of the destination country/region

Output:

• Importandexportenterprisesofmineralwatermustensurethatproductscomplywiththesafetystandardsandlimitrequirementsofthetargetmarket.Forexample,whenexportingtotheEU,productsmustmeettheprovisionsofDirective2009/54/EC,includinglimitsformicrobiological,chemical,andmineralcontentstandards.

5.2 Strengthen label management

Output:

• Mineralwaterlabelsmustincludethreekeypiecesofinformation:thewatersourcelocation,theproductsboundaryindicatorsandcontentrangesofmaincomponents,andacontainsfluoridemarkwhenfluoridecontentexceeds1.0mg/L.Labelcontentmustcomplywiththelanguageandformatrequirementsoftheimportingcountry.

5.3 Follow labeling regulations

Output:

• Unlessotherwisespecified,mineralwaterlabelsmustalsocomplywithGB7718NationalFoodSafetyStandard-GeneralRulesforPrepackagedFoodLabelingandmaybeexemptfromGB28050NationalFoodSafetyStandard-GeneralRulesforNutritionLabelingofPrepackagedFoodsbasedonspecificcircumstances.

Conclusion

Enterprises engaged in mineral water import/export must strictly adhere to relevant domestic and international laws,regulations,and standard requirements to ensure product compliance.Proper labeling not only facilitates smooth customs clearance and inspection but also enhances product competitiveness and consumer trust in international markets.