BIS Certification for Packaged Drinking Water: IS 14543 Requirements
BIS Certification for Packaged Drinking Water: IS 14543 Requirements
Packaged drinking water — including bottled water, pouched water, and water dispensed from sealed containers — requires mandatory BIS ISI mark certification under IS 14543 in India.
IS 14543: Packaged Drinking Water
IS 14543 specifies quality requirements for packaged drinking water including:
- Physical requirements: colour, odour, turbidity, pH
- Chemical requirements: TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), hardness, individual chemical parameters (nitrates, fluorides, heavy metals)
- Microbiological requirements: total coliform bacteria, E. coli, other pathogens must be absent or below limits
- Packaging requirements: material safety, seal integrity
Who Is Required to Certify
All manufacturers and importers of packaged drinking water sold in India must have BIS ISI mark certification. This includes:
- Large bottled water brands
- Small water plants producing pouched water
- Hotels and institutions bottling water for in-house use and sale
- Imported premium bottled water
FSSAI and BIS: Dual Compliance
Packaged drinking water must comply with both BIS IS 14543 (quality and packaging standards) AND FSSAI Food Safety regulations (Food Safety and Standards Act 2006). Both regulators actively enforce compliance.
BIS Factory Requirements
BIS conducts factory inspections of water plants to verify:
- Water source quality
- Purification and treatment systems (RO, UV, ozonation)
- Filling and sealing operations hygiene
- In-house testing equipment and records
Enforcement
BIS market surveillance for packaged water is continuous. FSSAI and BIS cooperate on enforcement. Non-certified packaged water attracts immediate seizure and prosecution. HOT handles IS 14543 testing for packaged water producers.
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