NJ Senator Introduces Stricter Regulations for Nestle, Bottled Water Companies

New Jersey State Senator Frank Lautenberg introduced a bill this week to provide consumers with more information about the bottled water they drink, according to PolitickerNJ.

The law would required bottled water companies, including Freehold's own Nestle, to publish information about the source and treatement of any bottled water.

From the report:

"Americans deserve to know what's in their water. Bottled water has become such a big part of our culture that the public has a right to know where it comes from and how it is treated," Sen. Lautenberg said. "This bill would make sure they get that information. "As long as water is sold in bottles, we must make sure the truth about that water is not bottled along with it."

Sen. Lautenber's bill, the Bottled Water Safety and Right-to-Know Act, would require bottled water manufacturers to display the quality and source of the water and type of treatment that the water has undergone on the bottles they sell. The bill would also require that manufacturers submit information about their bottled water's origins and quality to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and that such information be accessible to the public.

via Politicker NJ.

Nestle Waters, owned by the Nestle Corporation who has a beverage plant on Jerseyville Road in Freehold, is the leading produce of bottled water in the US. A statement on their website was supportive of Lautenberg's proposed requirements:

“Information about drinking water quality should be easily available, and we echo Senator Lautenberg’s call for a federal standard for all bottled water companies to transparently communicate the quality of their water."