Authority for Justice and Consumer Protection
Official recognition of natural mineral water

You need official recognition and usage authorization in order to market natural mineral water commercially.

Detailed description

You may only market natural mineral water commercially if it is officially recognized. You can apply for official recognition at the responsible office.

Natural mineral water is groundwater that originates from underground water reserves protected from contamination and is obtained from one or more sources. It is of original purity and characterized by its content of minerals, trace elements or other components. Its composition, temperature and other essential characteristics remain constant within the limits of natural fluctuations. It is untreated or may only be subjected to a few precisely prescribed treatment procedures.

Official recognition in Germany is equivalent to the official recognition of a member state of the European Union or a contracting state to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

Information

Important notes

Prerequisites

You will receive official recognition if the requirements according to Section 2 of the Mineral and Table Water Ordinance are met and this is geological and hydrological, physical, physico-chemical and chemical, microbiological and hygienic as well as for water with less than 1,000 milligrams of dissolved minerals or less than 250 milligrams of free carbon dioxide in one liter has, if necessary, been additionally checked from a nutritional or other point of view using scientifically recognized methods.
The information listed in Appendix 1 of the AVV Mineral Water must be complete and assessed by an expert.

Documents required

The required information can be found in the General Administrative Regulations on the Recognition and Authorization for Use of Natural Mineral Water.

Information that must be assessed for the official recognition of natural mineral waters
Orientation values for pollutants in natural mineral waters as criteria for the original purity
Substances in natural mineral waters with possible nutritional properties
Justification for official recognition of natural mineral water
Operational description for the application for a usage permit

Please note

Deadlines

Procedure & Fees

Procedure

Please send your application for official recognition of natural mineral water to the Authority for Justice and Consumer Protection.
To do this, submit a written, informal application.
Attach the application documents to be submitted in triplicate.
The submitted documents are comprehensively examined and assessed by experts. This includes a joint on-site inspection by the licensing authority and the responsible investigation office.
You will receive the official recognition of the natural mineral water or, if necessary, a rejection notice by post.
The recognition expressed will be communicated to the Federal Office for Food Safety and Consumer Protection (BVL).

Processing time

There is no statutory processing period. The processing time is usually one to two months.

Fees

Fees are charged for official recognition and for the use permit. The amount of the fees is calculated according to expenditure and is based on the fee schedule for the public health system.

Legal notes

Legal remedies

Objections to the notification of recognition or rejection can be lodged within one month.

Legal basis

§ 3 Mineral and Table Water Ordinance (Min/TafelWV)

General administrative regulation on the recognition and use permit of natural mineral water (AVV mineral water)

Address and contact information