NVWA Study: Spring and Natural Mineral Water from the Netherlands Reliable

News Release | 29-01-2026 | 10:00

Natural mineral water and spring water are legally protected names. Products may only be called this if they meet the requirements of the Food and Commodities Act Decree on packaged waters. The water must come from a protected source and be naturally pure. It is not allowed to treat the water in a way that changes its microbiological or chemical quality. There are also requirements for the label, quality, and composition of the water. These requirements exist to prevent deception. When consumers buy natural mineral water or spring water, it must actually be natural mineral water or spring water. The NVWA supervises this.

Fraud with Natural Mineral Water in France

The reason for the NVWA study was a fraud case in France in 2024. There, a food producer wrongly sold water as natural mineral water. This water was treated with purification techniques that are not allowed. Therefore, the NVWA inspected all companies with recognition for spring water and natural mineral water last year. They looked at water treatments, usage, origin, and labeling.

Spring and Natural Mineral Water from the Netherlands

In the NVWA study, 14 companies were inspected, holding a total of 19 recognitions. Violations were found at one company. This company performed a prohibited water treatment. The label also did not meet requirements. These violations posed no risk to food safety. There was no fraud. The company received a warning, and no violations were found during reinspection.

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