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WATER FACTS

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Water’s role in our bodies
What is Bottled Water?
What are the different types of Bottled Water?
What are the government regulations on bottled water?
Can bottled water be manufactured from tap water?
How do I know my water is safe?

Water’s role in our bodies
Simple water that is pure and free of contaminants such as GEMILANG mountain spring water will simply do wonders to your body. Drinking 8 glasses of water everyday will: improve your energy, increase your mental and physical performance, remove toxins and waste products from your body, and allow for proper digestion, keep skin healthy and glowing, help you lose weight, reduce headaches and dizziness.

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) points out that our bodies are two-thirds water and that it plays a big role in healthy lifestyles. The following are some things that water does in the human body:
- Brain is 75% water
- Blood is 92% water
- Bones are 22% water
- Muscles are 75% water
- Regulates body temperature
- Carries nutrients and oxygen to all cells in the body
- Moistens oxygen for breathing
- Protects and cushions vital organs
- Helps convert food into energy
- Helps body absorbs nutrients
- Removes waste
- Cushions joints

What is Bottled Water?
Bottled water is water sold for human consumption in sealed sanitary containers. The water may come from various sources, and may have undergone different treatments to make it fit for human consumption and put in sealed containers for sale. (Source: www.ibwasia.org)

The Indonesian governing body for food and drugs, Badan Pengawasan Obat dan Makanan (BPOM RI) – the equivalent of the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) – requires bottled water to adhere to the food safety procedures set forth in the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) Code, labeling requirements as well as inspection requirements.

What are the different types of Bottled Water?
BPOM RI requires all Bottled Water to be labeled Drinking Water because of the different sources where it may come from and to eradicate false claims. However, this result in the public not knowing the difference between water that comes from a natural spring or one that comes from other sources such as the municipal water system.

“[The US] FDA has established bottled water Standard of Identity to define the several different types of bottled water based on specific characteristics of the product. Bottled water products meeting the Standard of Identity may be labeled as bottled water or drinking water, or one or more of the following terms:

SPRING WATER – Bottled water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth. Spring water must be collected only at the spring or through a borehole tapping the underground formation feeding the spring. Spring water collected with the use of an external force must be from the same underground stratum as the spring and must have all the physical properties before treatment, and be of the same composition and quality as the water that flows naturally to the surface of the earth.

MINERAL WATER – Bottled water containing not less that 250 parts per million total dissolved solids may be labeled as mineral water. Mineral water is distinguished from other types of bottled water by its constant level and relative proportions of mineral and trace elements at the point of emergence from the source. No minerals can be added to this product.

SPARKLING BOTTLED WATER – Water that after treatment, and possible replacement with carbon dioxide, contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had as it emerged from the source. Sparkling bottled waters may be labeled as “sparkling drinking water,” “sparkling mineral water,” “sparkling spring water,” etc.

ARTESIAN WATER / ARTESIAN WELL WATER – Bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand), in which the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer.

WELL WATER – Bottled water from a hole bored, drilled or otherwise constructed in the ground, which taps the water aquifer.

Water that has been produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other suitable processes while meeting the definition of purified water in the United States Pharmacopoeia may be labeled as purified bottled water. Other suitable product names for bottled water treated by one of the above processes may include “distilled water” if it is processed by distillation, “deionized water” if it is produced by deionization or “reverse osmosis water” if the process used is reverse osmosis. Alternatively “____ drinking water” can be used with the blank being filled with one of the terms defined in this paragraph (e.g. “purified drinking water” or “distilled drinking water”)

(Source: www.bottledwater.org)

In addition, the Asian Bottled Water Association (ABWA) added that bottled water may come from any source such as municipal water, well water, sea water, etc when it is not specifically labeled spring water or mineral water as long as the water is adequately treated to make it fit for human consumption. “Treatments include carbonation, ozonation, ultraviolet irradiation, and filtration to remove harmful bacteria. These bottled waters can be distilled or passed through different deionization processes to remove their minerals....” (Source: www.ibwasia.org)

What are the government regulations on bottled water?
Each country has its own standards and regulations for bottled water, mostly based on WHO’s Codex Alimentarius. BPOM RI requires that all bottled water manufacturers adhere to the Indonesian National Standard 3553-1996 for food safety procedures and other requirements.

All bottled water offered for sale must be safe for people to consume. Bottled waters may undergo various treatments and should meet regulatory requirements for coliform and aerobic bacteria.

(Source: www.ibwasia.org)

Can bottled water be manufactured from tap water?
By definition, bottled water may come from any source including tap water or well water as long as it is not labeled spring water or mineral water. It is possible that some bottled waters are simply tap water that has been re-processed to make it fit for human direct consumption and then packed in a sealed container.

How do I know my water is safe?
Manufacturers of bottled water use one or more of the following practices to make sure that bottled water is safe and be of the highest possible quality: source protection and monitoring, reverse osmosis, distillation, filtration, ozonation and ultraviolet light.

One of the reason consumers choose bottled water is taste. The chlorine used to disinfect tap water can leave an aftertaste while the ozonation and ultraviolet light that bottlers use as final disinfecting agent do not leave an aftertaste.