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Natural Mineral Waters
The Codex Committee on Natural Mineral Waters
(Host Government – Switzerland)
This committee has been adjourned until further notice because it has completed the work assigned to it by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The committee was responsible for elaborating standards for all types of mineral water products.
Existing Codex Standards
Standards relating to natural mineral waters* that have been endorsed and adopted into the international food code include:
- Natural Mineral Waters
- Collecting, Processing and Marketing of Natural Mineral Waters
Other standards that relate to water include the:
- General Standard for Bottled/Packaged Drinking Waters (Other Than Natural Mineral Waters)
* This is an indicative list only. For a full list of standards approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, please consult its Official List of Standards.
Outcomes from the 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
The 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted the Proposed Draft Amendment to Sections 3.2 and 6.3.2 of the Codex Standard for Natural Mineral Waters (CODEX STAN 108-1981) at Step 5/8.
Last Meeting
The 8th Session of the Codex Committee on Natural Mineral Waters was held in Lugano, Switzerland on 11–15 February 2007. At this meeting the committee:
- considered Section 3.2 Health Related Limits for Certain Substances of the the Codex Standard for Natural Mineral Waters (Codex Stan 108-1981) and examined one-by-one, sixteen substances including antimony, arsenic, barium, borate/boron, cadmium, chromium, copper, cyanide, fluoride, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, nitrate, nitrite and selenium. The review of these substances took place in light of the release of the 3rd Edition of the WHO Guidelines on Drinking Water Quality, in order to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade.
- amended Section 6.3 Additional Labelling Requirements with regard to item 6.3.2 Fluoride, and
- agreed to forward the proposed draft amendment to Sections 3.2 and 6.3.2 of the Standard for final adoption by the 31st Session of the Commission at Step 5/8 with recommendation to omit Steps 6 and 7. It was also agreed to refer Section 3.2 to the Committee on Contaminants in Foods (Netherlands, 31 March - 4 April 2008) for endorsement.
Next Meeting
The Committee noted that it had completed the work assigned to it by the 30th Session of the Commission, therefore the next session was not foreseen, subject to the final decision by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.