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Bangalore, July 3 Underwriters Laboratories has launched a certification programme for bottled water in India, a year after it introduced the service in the US.

With the Rs 1,000-crore Indian packaged water industry estimated to grow at 40 per cent, safety certification assumes more importance in a country that experiences large-scale waterborne diseases.

Though it is mandatory for companies to obtain the Bureau of Indian Standards certification, a third party validation by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to meet the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration and the International Bottled Water Association for quality and safety comes as a reassurance to consumers.

Water is the new vertical UL has included in its portfolio in India to provide independent product safety certification, said Mr Jeffrey Smith, General Manager, UL Global Water Business. UL will be leveraging its talent pool from the 200-strong group of experts engaged in certification of various products, components and materials.

He said several leading brands have responded positively to the third party certification programme. The actual services are yet to start in the country.

Mr Smith said UL’s initial focus in India would be on packaged drinking water but it might extend services to back-end products certification.

Under the programme, UL would not only test the packaged product but also the source of water used for bottling, Mr Smith added.

UL is an American National Standards Institute-accredited global leader in water product certification and offers comprehensive testing and certification service for manufacturers of plumbing, drinking water treatment unit and water treatment chemicals and related products.

More Stories on : Water | Standards & Benchmarks | Karnataka

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