Objective To investigate the quality and problems of bottled drinking water in Henan province, China, from 2017 to 2019.

Methods According to the Implementation Rules for National Food Safety Sampling Inspection Program, 1 339 samples of bottled drinking water were collected in different regions of Henan province. Ten parameters were monitored for the natural mineral drinking water, including limit indicators, nickel, antimony, bromate, nitrate, nitrite, coliform, Streptococcus faecalis, Clostridium perfringens, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. As for purified drinking water and other types of drinking water, nine parameters were monitored, including oxygen consumption, turbidity, nitrite, residual chlorine, chloroform, bromate, volatile phenol, coliform, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Results Among 1 339 samples of bottled drinking water collected from 2017 to 2019, the overall percentage of samples that did not meet the national drinking water quality standards was 4.1%, with 2.4% for natural mineral drinking water, 4.1% for purified drinking water, and 5.4% for other types of drinking water. The unqualified indices were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, bromate, nitrite, oxygen consumption, limit indicators, and residual chlorine, respectively. The unqualified rate for Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 1.9%, which was higher than those for other parameters.

Conclusion The overall quality of bottled drinking water in Henan province is acceptable, but there are still samples below the quality standards. It is suggested that enterprises should operate in strict accordance with hygiene requirements during the process of source water management, manufacturing, and product packaging. The regulatory authorities should pay close attention to the main parameters for which bottled drinking water fail to meet the quality standards and adopt targeted sampling.