Compliance Department

Packaged Water Monitoring Programme

Safe drinking water is a basic necessity of life whether that water comes from the public mains or is sold to the consumer already packaged.  In Saint Lucia packaged water is regulated as a food by the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards. 

*SLNS 13: 2000: Specification for Packaged Water - Mineral Water, Spring Water, Purified Water

(This St. Lucia national compulsory standard specifies requirements for the purity, treatment, bacteriological acceptability, packaging and labelling of spring waters, mineral waters, and purified waters that are pre-packaged for sale and used as beverages or in foods.

This standard does not apply to water distributed by the public water supply system, to the carbonated beverage soda water, or to bottled water sold for purposes other than as a beverage. This standard should be used in conjunction with the Saint Lucia Code of Hygienic Practice for the Collecting, Processing and Marketing of Bottled Water- SLCP 3: 2000))

Local and imported bottled water brands fall under the Bureau's Packaged Water Monitoring Programme. All importers of bottled water must present the Bureau with a valid third party Microbiology report upon importation of all consignments of packaged water into the country. 

Local packaged water manufacturers are required to analyze each batch of water prior to distribution, to determine compliance with the microbiological requirements of the standard. In addition the Bureau also monitors the operations of the local bottled companies and recommends use of an associated "Code of Practice for Collecting, Processing and Marketing of Natural Mineral Waters" at all bottled water operations. 

The monitoring of bottled water is also incorporated into the Bureau's Market Surveillance Programme. On a quarterly basis all brands of bottled water are verified for conformance to the National Standard for Packaged Water.

* To assure the quality and safety of bottled water sold on the island (whether produced locally or imported), Saint Lucia has adopted the CODEX Alimentarius Standard for packaged water.