SACRAMENTO, CA — Bottled water companies would have to put out water quality reports similar to those produced by public water agencies under state legislation proposed this week.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the bill would make California's bottled water quality standards among the strongest in the nation, requiring bottlers to include greater detail on product labels.
According to the text of the bill, "the general perception of the public in California is that bottled water and vended water products are safer or of higher quality than tap water, but this is not always true; water quality requirements for bottled water are, in many cases, less stringent than tap water."
Currently, if consumers want to know if trace amounts of contaminants have been found in the bottled water, they have to call the company.
The bill was approved by the state Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee on Tuesday and will move to the Appropriations Committee, the last stop before reaching the full Assembly.
According to AP, bottled water companies say the new regulations are unnecessary and costly, and Stephen Kay, spokesman for the International Bottled Water Association, said the industry already meets the same standards under the state's food laws.
According to the proposal, the bill would require bottled water companies to comply with provisions similar to those imposed on public water systems regarding emergency notification plans, consumer confidence reports and annual inspections, the proposal states
Failure to comply with the inspection provisions would be a misdemeanor.
The bill would revise the annual license fee schedule and would create the Safe Bottled and Vended Water Account in the General Fund, comprised of these fees, from which money would be used to provide funds to administer the program, the proposal states.
It would also require the labeling on bottled water sold at retail or wholesale in a plastic beverage container to include specified information, and would make various technical, nonsubstantive changes, according to the proposed bill.
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