WORLD TRADE
G/TBT/N/GBR/14
7 June 2006
ORGANIZATION
(06-2709)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
Original: English
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1.
Member to Agreement notifying: UNITED KINGDOM
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):
2.
Agency responsible: Food Standards Agency
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:
Department of Trade and Industry
UK TBT Enquiry Point
3.
Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X ], 2.10.1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ], 5.7.1 [ ], other:
4.
Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Spring Water and
Bottled Drinking Water
5.
Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: (Draft) Natural
Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (England) Regulations 2006
(28 pages, in English).
(Draft) Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (Scotland)
Regulations 2006 (28 pages, in English).
(Draft) Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (Northern
Ireland) Regulations 2006 (28 pages, in English).
(Draft) Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (Wales)
Regulations 2006, in preparation. The national provision notified will be identical to the
England, Scotland and Northern Ireland Regulations.
6.
Description of content: These draft UK Regulations consolidate the requirements laid
down in the existing Regulations, which implement Directives 80/777/EEC (as amended)
and 98/83/EC (as amended), the latter as it relates to bottled water for human consumption.
Schedule 8, Part 1 (1d), of these draft Regulations contains a national requirement that
spring water and bottled drinking water which has been softened or desalinated must not
have its hardness reduced below a certain level. In these draft Regulations the level is
measured as 60 mg/litre of the calcium ion (the main component of water hardness). This is
a national provision to be implemented throughout the UK and applies to all
softened/desalinated spring waters and bottled drinking waters sold in the UK. It does not
apply to untreated waters or to natural mineral waters. The minimum hardness requirement
laid down in the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Regulations is identical to that laid
down in the English Regulations. This provision is currently subject to technical
notification to the European Commission under 98/34/EC.
G/TBT/N/GBR/14
Page 2
7.
Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:
There is a significant body of epidemiological evidence that demonstrates an inverse
relationship between drinking water hardness and the incidence of cardiovascular disease
(CVD). The UK has one of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease mortality in Europe
and in 2004 CVD accounted for just over 216,000 deaths (British Heart Foundation, 2006),
and was the second most commonly reported longstanding illness in Great Britain (ONS,
2005). Furthermore the popularity of bottled water with consumers is increasing as
exemplified by the increase in total volume sales (+26.6%) of spring water and bottled
drinking water between 2001 and 2005. The protective effect of water hardness is therefore
a beneficial health measure for the UK and it is therefore important to set this minimum
hardness requirement.
8.
Relevant documents:
(Draft) Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water
(England) Regulations 2006:
http://www.food.gov.uk/Consultations/consulteng/2006/mineralwaterregs06.
(Draft) Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water
(Scotland) Regulations 2006:
http://www.food.gov.uk/Consultations/consultscot/2006/naturalmineralwater2006s.
(Draft) Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (Northern
Ireland) Regulations 2006.
(Draft) Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (Wales)
Regulations 2006, in preparation.
World Health Organisation, 2006, Hardness in Drinking-water, Background
document for development of WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality,
WHO/SDE/WSH/03.04/06:
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/hardness.pdf.
Catling, L., Abubakar, I., Lake, I., Swift, L. and Hunter, P. (University of East
Anglia and Drinking Water Inspectorate), 2005, Review of evidence for
relationship between incidence of cardiovascular disease and water hardness, Final
Report for DWI/70/2/176:
http://www.dwi.gov.uk/research/Water%20hardness%20final%20report1.pdf.
Cardiovascular Review Group - Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy
(COMA), 1994, Nutritional Aspects of cardiovascular Disease, Report on Health
and Social Subjects, 46, (Section 6.91), p. 143, HMSO, UK.
9.
Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force:
10.

Final date for comments: 4 August 2006
1 October 2006 (England)
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Regulations will be adopted/come into force
subsequently to the England Regulations.
G/TBT/N/GBR/14
Page 3
11.
Texts available from: National enquiry point [ X ] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:
Dr Jenny Lyn, Food Standards Agency, Room 115B Aviation House, 125 Kingsway,
London WC2B 6NH; Tel: +44 (0) 20 7276 8158;
E-mail: water@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk;
http://www.food.gov.uk/Consultations/consulteng/2006/mineralwaterregs06
Department of Trade and Industry, UK TBT Enquiry Point, Bay 4140, 1 Victoria Street,
London SW1H 0ET; E-mail: marilyn.swain@dti.gsi.gov.uk