Award: Premium mineral water with organic quality
Natural mineral water is the most popular thirst quencher in Germany, with more than 11 billion liters consumed in 2015. High quality and safety standards are typical of the industry.
Both the sources and the bottling of mineral water are subjected to scrupulous testing as part of official recognition. The specifications are defined by the Mineral and Table Water Ordinance (MTVO).
But what if manufacturers want to do even more? Exceed the legal requirements? Integrate sustainability and environmental protection even better? And support consumers in making conscious purchasing decisions for such products?
SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS has developed the “Premium Mineral Water with Organic Quality” award for this purpose.
Regular checks for long-term safety
These tests and inspections by the independent experts at SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS provide reliable guidance for consumers:
- Detailed chemical and microbiological tests,
- undercover market tests,
- annual repeat audits of manufacturers and suppliers,
- inspection of raw materials and packaging, and
- many other tests in the laboratory and on site.
By the way, we put special emphasis on testing products that we buy directly from retailers and do not purchase from the manufacturer.
For premium mineral water with organic quality, SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS has developed a holistic concept that provides for much stricter orientation values and requirements than those prescribed by law.
At the same time, the topic of sustainability is given a high priority, which more and more consumers are demanding.
A concept from which responsible manufacturers benefit just as much as discerning consumers.
How does a mineral water become a premium mineral water with organic quality?
The basis: The sealing process
Before we award a product with the SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS seal of quality, it must successfully pass numerous chemical and microbiological tests and audits and withstand regular repeat testing. This process is also the basis for premium mineral water with organic quality.
With organic quality to premium mineral water
SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS defines “organic quality” as a holistic claim of the manufacturer. Parameters such as product quality, product safety, product origin, and ecological and social sustainability are combined in one system and communicated to the consumer in a comprehensible way.
Based on these specifications, we at SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS have developed a catalog of requirements. A premium mineral water with organic quality must meet the requirements of this catalog of requirements. However, the award may only be granted by the manufacturer if the product and the production process also meet the sustainability requirements.
We will be happy to provide you with the complete catalogue of requirements for download.
The test plan for the examination of products, ingredients and packaging
A systematic chemical, microbiological and physical examination of sealed products is ensured by a test plan.
Many of the samples are taken from retailers without the knowledge of the manufacturers (mystery shopping).
Each test plan is individual, just as the manufacturers’ product range is individual. Packaging shapes and sizes, carbonation levels, and distribution channels vary. However, each test plan guarantees that the entire product range is examined. The fulfillment of all requirements for a premium mineral water in organic quality must be fully guaranteed. The test plan is determined by the specialists at SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS and updated as necessary. The manufacturers have no influence on the design.
The social and environmental sustainability test program
Sustainable production protects resources for our and future generations and also ensures responsible treatment of employees and the production environment today.
For this reason, SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS offers special tests on this topic, which are also a prerequisite for the award Premium Mineral Water with Organic Quality.
Our programme includes comprehensive social and environmental screening criteria.
For all of them, the manufacturer must prove in the audit process that it has taken them into account. Some of them have a particularly high priority. If processes and facts at these points do not meet our specifications, deficiencies must be consistently eliminated before a seal is awarded.
The requirements of SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS for the “social and ecological sustainability” award in the seal are demanding and are only met by ambitious mineral water producers.
We are the experts for questions about the quality of food.
We support you with all questions relating to food safety and the claiming of quality criteria for your products and services.
Responsible use of a valuable natural resource
As an independent testing body, we not only assess the quality of natural mineral water, but also stand up for the responsible use of this valuable natural resource out of conviction and commitment.
Sustainability is not an empty word for us, but the central goal to which we are committed: From source to consumer, from supplier to label, from environmental protection to quality guarantee.
We apply strict standards everywhere and support them with our holistic approach.
Our mission statement
170 years ago, Carl Remigius Fresenius in Wiesbaden pioneered the analysis of mineral water, even reinventing it in many areas.
From the very beginning, the protection and scientific research of this rare and sensitive natural resource was the focus of the work at Institut Fresenius.
But the forefather of mineral water analysis also had social responsibility in mind from the very beginning, in addition to ecological issues: Carl Remigius Fresenius was one of the first chemists to allow women to train in his laboratory.
Worldwide mineral water specialists
Today we are the most respected laboratory for analysis, certification and consulting, especially in the field of mineral water. Almost every one of the more than 500 mineral waters in Germany has been tested by us.
And that’s not all: SGS INSTITUT FRESENIUS now operates worldwide to provide competent and independent advice to mineral water bottlers.
For us, water is not just water. It is the indispensable basis of life! As the most important component of our diet, water must be protected in the best possible way. Natural mineral water occupies a special position in this respect because of its natural and original purity.
Our values in the awarding of the seal by the SGS INSTITUT FRESENSIUS
As a seal of approval that stands for creating and assuring quality, we bear responsibility. Economically, socially and societally.
We are the experts for questions about the quality of food.
We support you with all questions relating to food safety and the claiming of quality criteria for your products and services.
