FSSAI Updates Safety Regulations For Water Sold Through Vending Machines

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has brought about a new amendment to ensure safety of water sold through vending machines reports F&B News. Earlier the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 did not include water sold by these machines under the safety standards.

Water Safety Amendment

“It has become a necessity to regulate these operations, so as to ensure the safety and quality of water obtained from water vending machines and consumed by the public,” said a statement by the food regulator as quoted by the publication. The same parameters applicable to the packaged drinking water will be applied to the machine water as well but the latter is exempted from having a certification mark which is issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The report by F&B News further says that a clause in the sub regulation had stated that, “Packaged drinking water offered or sold through water vending machines shall be clear without any sediments, suspended particles and extraneous matter.” This clause in Sub-regulation 2.10.8 of Regulation 2.10 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 has been changed to, “Packaged drinking water and drinking water offered or sold through water vending machines shall be clear without any sediments, suspended particles and extraneous matter.”

Meanwhile, Clause 17 of the Regulation 2.3 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011 has been substituted by, “No person shall manufacture, sell or exhibit for sale packaged drinking water except under the BIS Certification Mark. Provided that the requirement of the BIS Certification Mark shall not apply on the drinking water offered or sold through water vending machines.”