Understand water bottle labels
The fundamental information of any product that is consumed, be it food or drink, appears on the labeling. The most relevant information on its identification, description and components must appear on the label. Bottled water also has its corresponding label, which in addition to fulfilling its role in terms of purchasing decision, must respond to the need to know the type of product that is offered inside each bottle.
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Legislation adapted to each product
Laws written regarding labeling try to improve consumer information. In the case of food products, the legislation on food product labeling is very extensive. Directive 2000/13 / EC is considered the basic directive and mainly regulates the mandatory content that the label must bear, the visual presentation and the language in which the indications must appear.
Mandatory content on bottled water labels
- Sales denomination.
- List of ingredients.
- Percentage quantity of an ingredient or a category of ingredients.
- Net quantity for prepackaged products.
- Minimum durability date, or expiration date for highly perishable food products.
- Special conditions of conservation and use.
- Name or company name and address of the manufacturer or packer.
- Instructions for use, in the event that, if not, the product cannot be used properly.
- Place of origin, in case its omission may be misleading.
- Instructions for use when its absence means improper use of the product.
- Volumetric alcoholic strength acquired for beverages with an alcoholic strength by volume greater than 1.2%.
In the case of mineral water, it is Commission Directive 2003/40 / EC , of May 16, 2003, which establishes the list, concentration limits and labeling indications for the components of natural mineral waters. It establishes the list of the components of natural mineral waters that may present a risk to public health, the limits for the admissible content of these components, the application deadlines for these limits and the labeling indications for some components. In addition, manufacturers are obliged to indicate the analytical composition , without specifying in detail which minerals should appear.
What information should the label of mineral water bottles include?
Each labeling varies depending on the brands, because according to what we have seen previously, it is the companies themselves that decide what to include and what not. It is evident that this fact can cause confusion to the consumer and does not facilitate the comparison of products The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) considers that the information should be as homogeneous and complete as possible, and suggests a series of elements as mandatory in this labeling :
- Dry residue . Total amount of salts present in bottled water (usually carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides, sulfates, nitrates, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium).
- Bicarbonates Bicarbonated water is considered to be one that contains more than 600 mg / l of bicarbonates.
- Calcium A water is classified as calcium when it has more than 150 mg / l of calcium.
- Chlorides A water is chlorinated when it contains more than 200 mg / l of chlorides.
- Fluorine It is considered a fluoridated water with more than 1 mg / l of fluorine. According to European regulations, natural mineral waters with a fluoride concentration greater than 1.5 mg / l must include on their labeling the indication “contains more than 1.5 mg / l of fluoride: not suitable for regular consumption of infants and children under seven years of age “.
- Magnesium A magnesium water with more than 50 mg / l of magnesium is classified.
- Sodium The legislation establishes that a water is indicated for diets poor in sodium if the content in this mineral is below 20 mg / l, and a sodium water is considered that one that contains more than 200 mg / l of sodium.
- Potassium and Silica . The legislation does not establish limits for waters packaged in these minerals.
- Nitrates The maximum limit for this substance for mineral waters is 50 mg / l.
- Sulfates Sulfated waters are those that exceed 200 mg / l.
Analysis of the content of the majority of mineral water on the market
What is the composition of the best-selling mineral waters? Next, we will see a comparison of the data offered by most of the brands consumed and distributed in Spain.
- Bezoya . Dry residue at 180ºC: 27 (mg / l) – Bicarbonates: 17 – Chlorides: 0.54 – Calcium: 6.32 – Magnesium: 0.83 – Sodium: 1.21 – Silica: 9.78
- Font Vella . Sant Hilari spring: Calcium 42 mg / l – Magnesium 11.3 mg / l – Sodium 12.5 mg / l – Bicarbonates 143 mg / l – Dry residue 190 mg / l.
- Sigüenza spring. Calcium 85.7 mg / l – Magnesium 28.9 mg / l – Sodium 7.6 mg / l – Bicarbonates 308 mg / l – Dry residue 303 mg / l.
- Lanjarón . Composition (in mg / l): Bicarbonates 108 – Calcium 28.9 – Magnesium 11.4 – Sodium 5.9 – Conductivity (µS / cm) 200 (CNTA-2018).
- Aquabona . Manantial Santolín: Dry residue 271 mg / l (180ºC) – Bicarbonates: 276 – Sulfates: 6.5 – Chlorides: 4.4 – Calcium: 92.2 – Magnesium: 2.8 – Sodium: 2.0.
- Aquarel. Manantial Avets: Bicarbonate (137 mg / l) – Calcium (37.7 mg / l) – Sodium (10mg / l) – Magnesium (6.9 mg / l) – Sulfate (12.5 mg / l) – Chloride (9.1 mg / l) – Dry Residue at 180º (165 mg / l).
- Manantial Las Jara : Bicarbonate (13.2 mg / l) – Calcium (2.2 mg / l) – Sodium (4.7 mg / l) – Magnesium (2.3 mg / l) – Sulfate (3.7 mg / l) – Chloride (6.8 mg / l) – Dry Residue at 180ºC (40 mg / l)
- Cabreiroá . Dry Residue: 195 mg / l – (HCO3): 167 – (C): 7.6 – (Ca): 9.3 – (Na): 50.7 – (K): 2.1; (Mg): 4.22
- Light source . Sodium 0.8 (mg / l) – Calcium 64.7 – Magnesium 18.5 – Bicarbonates 273 – Conductivity 400 – Dry Residue 25.
- Solán de Cabras . Dry residue 261 (mg / l) – Sulfates 21.3 – Fluorides 0.2 – Magnesium 25.1 – Potassium 1.1 – Bicarbonates 285.8 – Chlorides 7.9 – Calcium 58.3 – Sodium 5.2 – pH 7.82.
The quality of mineral water compared to the water extracted from Rain of Life equipment
The problem with regard to the mineralization of the water, has led the Medical Director and the Chemical Engineers of Rain of Life to carry out exhaustive tests to be able to select the most suitable mixture of chemical substances to add to pure water. Thus, a balance of components that is totally favorable to the health of the consumer is achieved. In addition, under medical prescription it is possible to add special compounds for specific geographic areas or groups. For example, it is possible to create a mixture with a higher contribution of fluoride for consumers located in disadvantaged geographical areas that suffer from a deficiency of this component.
In fact, all atmospheric generators RoL they can regulate the hardness or degree of mineralization of the water, so that it adjusts to the taste and needs of the consumer. And they perform bacterial control without the addition of any chlorinated compound.
That is why we can affirm that the water from Rain of Life atmospheric generators is of a higher quality than most bottled waters on the market.
