THE CONSTRAINTS OF MINERAL WATER BOTTLING
THE CONSTRAINTS OF MINERAL WATER BOTTLING
INTRODUCTION
Waters packaged and bottled with the addition of carbon dioxide are : :
Development
Packaged water is a food product and must comply with current food regulations. Regulated by European law, mineral water is subject to a recognition procedure, the full list of which is published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. Spring water is subject to an authorisation procedure. Bottling is authorised by ministerial decree for mineral water and by prefectoral decree for spring water. The regulations stipulate that bottled and packaged water is intended for human consumption. Manufacturers must comply with the requirements of the regulations on the hygiene of foodstuffs set out in Regulation 852-2004. It is essential to guarantee consumer health and protection at all stages of the food chain. The application of procedures based on the HACCP model, combined with the implementation of perfect hygiene practices, should lead to increased criminal and civil liability for operators in the sector. Some manufacturing stages must take place in a controlled environment to avoid contamination of the product and/or its packaging: injection, blow moulding, filling and capping. The temperature and air quality in the processing room must be controlled and it must be pressurised. It must be spacious, cleanable and have smooth surfaces to avoid the risk of harmful micro-organisms accumulating. Potential risks from the raw material during the manufacturing process are microbiological (e-coli, enterococci), chemical (iron, arsenic) or physical (foreign bodies). Good hygiene practices apply to a strict protocol from collection to delivery. The standards required must be applied in order to deliver clean, healthy water to the consumer. The rational organisation of the premises must enable :
CONCLUSION
Thanks to our expertise in air treatment for packaging rooms, we are contributing to this approach. Here is an example of a water packaging unit:
Waters packaged and bottled with the addition of carbon dioxide are : :
- Natural, still and carbonated mineral waters
- Water from the source
- Waters made drinkable by treatment
Development
Packaged water is a food product and must comply with current food regulations. Regulated by European law, mineral water is subject to a recognition procedure, the full list of which is published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. Spring water is subject to an authorisation procedure. Bottling is authorised by ministerial decree for mineral water and by prefectoral decree for spring water. The regulations stipulate that bottled and packaged water is intended for human consumption. Manufacturers must comply with the requirements of the regulations on the hygiene of foodstuffs set out in Regulation 852-2004. It is essential to guarantee consumer health and protection at all stages of the food chain. The application of procedures based on the HACCP model, combined with the implementation of perfect hygiene practices, should lead to increased criminal and civil liability for operators in the sector. Some manufacturing stages must take place in a controlled environment to avoid contamination of the product and/or its packaging: injection, blow moulding, filling and capping. The temperature and air quality in the processing room must be controlled and it must be pressurised. It must be spacious, cleanable and have smooth surfaces to avoid the risk of harmful micro-organisms accumulating. Potential risks from the raw material during the manufacturing process are microbiological (e-coli, enterococci), chemical (iron, arsenic) or physical (foreign bodies). Good hygiene practices apply to a strict protocol from collection to delivery. The standards required must be applied in order to deliver clean, healthy water to the consumer. The rational organisation of the premises must enable :
- Separate the maintenance workshop, laboratory and shop from the production area.
- Plan for possible extensions.
- Choose a spacious area for operations.
- Ease of movement, particularly for staff.
- Accessibility to the machinery required for cleaning and maintenance operations.
- Compatibility with neighbouring activities or production (the areas must be reserved for bottling).
- Risks of cross-contamination during and between operations.
CONCLUSION
Thanks to our expertise in air treatment for packaging rooms, we are contributing to this approach. Here is an example of a water packaging unit:
- A packaging room
- An over-packaging room
- A palletising room
- A microbial laboratory
- A physico-chemical laboratory
- Temperature
- Atmospheric pressure
- The number of particles in the air
- Air mixing