Guidance

Natural mineral water: how to get recognition

How producers can get non-UK natural mineral waters recognised in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), or get UK products recognised overseas.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Published: 19 August 2021
• Last updated: 22 February 2022 — See all updates

You must get your natural mineral water recognised before you can sell it in the UK and overseas.

This guidance explains how producers in:

• Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) should apply for recognition to sell their products in Northern Ireland, the EU and EEA (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein)
• non-UK countries should apply to sell in Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All successful applications are listed in Natural mineral waters: lists of recognised products.

Find out how to get water extracted in England recognised in Great Britain in Natural mineral water: how to produce and label in England.

To find out if your water needs to be recognised as natural mineral water, check the different types of bottled water.

Non-UK natural mineral waters recognition in Great Britain

If you are a producer of natural mineral water extracted from outside the UK, you must apply for recognition to sell it in Great Britain.

This includes natural mineral waters from the EU and EEA because Great Britain no longer automatically recognises them.

You only need to apply in one GB country to get recognition in all 3. To apply, email one of the following organisations:

• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - bottled.water@defra.gov.uk
• Food Standards Scotland - NaturalMineralWater.applications@fss.scot
• Food Standards Agency in Wales - bottled.water@food.gov.uk

In your email, use the subject line ‘Application for recognition [trade description or brand], [country of origin]. The organisation will send you an application form and guidance on how to apply.

If your application is successful, your mineral water will be recognised in England, Scotland and Wales. Your brand will be listed in the official list of GB-recognised mineral waters.

Read the notice of withdrawal of recognition for natural mineral water letters sent to the EU, Iceland and Norway.

EU and EEA natural mineral water recognition in Northern Ireland

Producers in the EU and EEA can sell natural mineral water in Northern Ireland if the water has recognised status in the country of production.

Northern Ireland natural mineral water recognition in the EU and EEA

Natural mineral water produced in Northern Ireland is automatically recognised for marketing in the EU and EEA.

GB natural mineral water recognition in the EU and EEA

You need to apply for recognition of your natural mineral water in the EU and EEA if:

• you’re a producer of natural mineral water in Great Britain and you have already received recognition from a responsible authority in Great Britain
• you want to sell to EU and EEA countries (for Northern Ireland, see ‘GB natural mineral water recognition in Northern Ireland’)

Apply in writing to one of the following countries for recognition of your water as a non-EU country natural mineral water:

• an EU member state
• Norway
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein

The recognition process is guided by EU Directive 2009/54/EC but is slightly different between countries. You must make your application and supporting documentation in the official language of the country you’re applying to.

For information on how to apply for recognition, including specific examples for certain member states, contact bottled.water@defra.gov.uk.

GB natural mineral water recognition in Northern Ireland

Natural mineral waters produced in Great Britain are not automatically recognised in Northern Ireland.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is working to form a legal basis for recognising Great Britain natural mineral water in Northern Ireland.

Natural mineral waters recognised through an EU member state are also recognised in Northern Ireland.

Published 19 August 2021
Last updated 22 February 2022 + show all updates

1. 22 February 2022

   Updated the guidance for non-UK mineral water producers applying for recognition in Great Britain, and moved the lists of recognised products to a new page, 'Natural mineral waters: lists of recognised products'.

2. 8 November 2021

   Kingshill Natural Mineral Water in Newmains, Lanarkshire has been added to the list of UK natural mineral waters recognised in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Northern Island.

3. 3 November 2021

   Amended the details for 'Belu' mineral water recognised in Wales. The name of source is now 'Belu' and the place of exploitation is now: Churchstoke, Powys.

4. 2 September 2021

   Added ASDA Natural Mineral Water, Elmhurst Spring to the list of UK natural mineral waters recognised in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Northern Ireland.

5. 19 August 2021

   First published.