ANSES Clarifies French Packaged Water Regulations Amidst Upcoming EU Revisions
France's national food safety agency, ANSES, has reiterated the distinct regulatory frameworks governing natural mineral water, spring water, and treated drinking water, influencing product classification and permissible processes ahead of anticipated EU Directive changes.
Paris, France — 06 July 2026
The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) has issued guidance clarifying the specific regulatory requirements for packaged waters in France. This comes as the European Union contemplates amendments to Directive 2009/54/EC, which frames national legislation on packaged water, including the French Public Health Code (Articles R.1322-1 et seq.). The agency distinguishes between three categories: natural mineral water, spring water, and water made drinkable by treatment, each with unique sourcing, processing, and quality control mandates.
Natural mineral waters and spring waters must originate exclusively from underground sources and be microbiologically pure at source. Crucially, disinfection treatments are prohibited for these categories. While specific authorised treatments, such as ozone-enriched air for removing undesirable natural contaminants like fluorine or arsenic, are permitted under strict conditions outlined in Directive 2003/40/EC, any such intervention requires rigorous validation and prefectural authorisation in France. Natural mineral water further demands a demonstrably constant mineral composition and an assessed geological origin, often involving a multi-decade journey through geological strata, to secure its designation and exploitation rights.
Conversely, 'water made drinkable by treatment' can be sourced from either underground or surface waters. This category permits standard water treatment processes, including disinfection, aligning its quality criteria with those of public tap water. While less prevalent in the French market, this category offers greater flexibility in resource selection and purification methodologies. All packaged waters undergo stringent monitoring by producers and distributors, coupled with oversight from health authorities, analogous to tap water surveillance.
What this means for France
French brand owners must review their current packaged water portfolios against these explicit ANSES classifications, especially concerning constant mineral composition and permissible treatments for natural mineral water to avoid reclassification or delisting. Manufacturers of 'water made drinkable by treatment' could capitalize on reduced sourcing constraints and wider treatment options, offering a competitive pricing advantage, particularly as consumer demand for purified water grows. Regulatory teams must track impending EU Directive 2009/54/EC amendments closely to pre-empt compliance deadlines, which could necessitate significant capital expenditure for process modifications or relabelling. Procurement leads should assess the availability and cost implications of compliant source waters and treatment technologies, impacting finished product margins across all categories.
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