Our Water Quality Standards
Providing crisp, refreshing,
great-tasting water is a complex process - Here's how we make our bottled water
taste so good.
Our premium drinking
water starts in a deep, protected well. The water is forced through water
softening, carbon filtration, ultra violet, and reverse osmosis process that
leaves the water 99.034% pure. We add back select amounts of calcium, magnesium
and potassium to give our water that refreshing Culligan taste. Finally, to
ensure freshness, ozone is used as a natural disinfectant. Culligan meets and
exceeds all FDA,local and state requirements. Culligan is the only bottler in
the state of Montana to belong to the International Bottled Water Association
and meet National Sanitation Foundation approval
.
At MPR we are proud that our bottled
water meets and exceeds all applicable bottled water standards for quality and
safety at the Federal and state level. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
regulates bottled water as a food. MPR uses certified
laboratories to perform extensive tests on its water sources and bottled water
products to ensure we meet or exceed all Federal and state bottled water
regulations.
Collectively,
federal, state and industry bottled water quality standards establish limits for
microbiological, physical, chemical and radiological substances for both source
water and bottled water products. Federal testing frequencies for these
parameters are included in the Food and Drug Administration Good Manufacturing
Practices for bottled water.2
MPR adheres to state, federal and
industry bottled water quality standards to ensure that every bottle we deliver
to your home or office is safe to drink and has a consistently great taste.
In addition to existing stringent regulatory standards, the International
Bottled Water Association (IBWA) maintains a strict Bottled Water Code of
Practice for its members. MPR is a member of IBWA and meets and exceeds the
quality requirements of the IBWA Model Code of Practice. Additionally, we take
pride in the fact that our bottled water production plants are annually
inspected by independent third-party organizations. These annual plant
inspections, coupled with annual product testing, ensure that MPR complies
with federal and state bottled water regulations and the IBWA Code of Practice.
For more information about IBWA and the IBWA Code of Practice, please visit the
IBWA web site or call
IBWA at 1-800-Water-11.
Bottle Water Regulations
Bottled water, one of the most regulated food products, is
subject to three levels of regulatory standards: federal, state and industry.
Federal Regulations
On a federal level, bottled water is regulated by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) as a food product to
ensure bottled water product quality and safety from production to packaging to
consumption. All bottled water products must comply with FDA's Quality Standards
listed in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) including:
-
Standards of Quality
-
Standards of Identity - (includes labeling regulations
and standardized terms)
-
Good Manufacturing Practices - (includes plant
construction, sanitary facilities and process controls)
-
The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness
and Response Act of 2002 - (requires records maintenance, as well as
registering bottling and operations/sales facilities with the FDA)
State Standards
In addition to FDA's extensive
regulatory requirements, the bottled water industry is subject to state
regulatory requirements as well.
A significant responsibility of the states is inspecting,
sampling, analyzing and approving sources of water. Under the federal Good
Manufacturing Processes, only approved sources of water can be used to supply a
bottling plant. Although regulations vary from state to state, in general they
cover the following:
-
Laboratory certification
-
Setting quality standards
-
Issuing bottling plant permits
-
Approving water sources
-
Reviewing bottled water product labeling
-
Testing source and bottled water products
IBWA Standards
Bottled water companies that are members of the
International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) must adhere to stringent industry
standards. IBWA has established a quality assurance program, a strict set of
standards called the Bottled Water Code of Practice. In some instances, the IBWA
Bottled Water Code of Practice is stricter than FDA regulations. The IBWA is
also active at all levels of the local, state and federal government assisting
in the development of comprehensive bottled water regulations. As a member of
the IBWA, we must comply with the following standards:
-
Annual inspections by third-party auditors p>
-
Audits of all areas of plant production
-
Adherence to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Points (HACCP) Program
-
Audits to ensure compliance with all applicable federal,
state and industry bottled water quality regulatory standards
Another area in which some states have important
responsibilities that complement federal regulation is the certification of
testing laboratories. As with any food establishment, the states perform
unannounced plant inspections, and some states perform annual inspections.
Water Quality Reports
The following reports were conducted by certified labs on
our water quality. The analyses include bottled drinking water quality test
results for inorganic, organics, and radiological substances as well as physical
parameters:
Bottled Water Quality
Report
CerCertificate Of Compliance
