Packaged water: Pepsico, Coca Cola, Bisleri have valid license

Pepsico, Coca Cola and Bisleri have got a clean chit from food safety regulator FSSAI for their packaged water facilities, while crackdown is underway on some smaller players operating without valid manufacturing licences. 

The three players -- Pepsico, Coca Cola and Bisleri -- command 60 per cent market share in the packaged drinking water segment.

After examining all relevant documents of these three companies, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) today said that Pepsico, Coca Cola and Bisleri have "valid FSSAI/BIS license/certification". 

"It can be safely concluded that the said food and beverage operators (FBOs) comply with relevant provisions of FSS Act, rules and regulations," FSSAI said in a statement. 

Last month, FSSAI had asked state authorities to crackdown on mineral water packaging units that are operating without its licence. As many as 75 per cent of the packaging units owned by various firms were said to be operating without an FSSAI licence. These units were operating under a BIS certification. 

When contacted, FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said, "Their (Pepsico, Coca Cola and Bisleri) names were not in the list of companies not having valid licence. But they figured in the media reports. So, we asked them to submit the details." 

These three companies have 60 per cent share in packaged drinking water market in the country, he added. 

FSSAI had asked the three companies to submit all the details of various manufacturing/processing units including third party manufacturer and processors after they claimed that they have valid licences by FSSAI and BIS. 

Out of total 5,842 registered water packaging units, 1,495 units have both BIS and FSSAI licences, while 4,347 units have only BIS certification. 

Agarwal said, "We are still in the process of cracking down on those units which do not have valid licence. Those are mostly small companies." 

Pepsico sells its packaged water under the brand name Aquafina, Coca-cola sells under the name Kinley, while Bisleri sells packaged water under its own name.