IBWA has always supported a consumer’s right to obtain clear, accurate, and timely information about the safety and quality of his or her bottled water choice, upon request. To help meet this goal, IBWA has adopted the following policy on consumer access to bottled water information.

“The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) supports a policy by which its members and all other bottled water producers provide consumers with clear, accurate and timely information about the safety and quality of his or her bottled water choice, upon request. Bottled water producers should have the flexibility to determine the best and most effective way to distribute this information to consumers whether by way of regular mail, e-mail, website, telephone, any combination thereof, or any other reasonably effective method. IBWA supports the current voluntary system by which companies provide bottled water quality information to consumers.”

Did you know?

• Bottled water is a packaged food product comprehensively regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has established health-based standards of quality that are as stringent and protective of public health as those for public drinking water administered by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Failure to meet those standards can result in enforcement action by FDA or recall of the bottled water product from the market place.

• All packaged foods and beverage products, including bottled water, have extensive labeling requirements, including a standard of identity, compliance with the applicable definitions in the standard of identity, ingredient labeling, name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor, and, if required, nutrition labeling.

• IBWA supports a policy by which its members and all other bottled water producers provide consumers with clear, accurate, and timely information about the safety and quality of his or her bottled water choice, upon request.