FOOD SAFETY RISKS IN BOTTLED WATER PRODUCTION: A STRUCTURED EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR UZBEKISTAN

This study synthesizes recent international evidence on food safety risks associated with bottled water production and examines their implications for Uzbekistan. A structured evidence synthesis of peer-reviewed literature and authoritative food-safety sources published between 2020 and 2026 was conducted using predefined eligibility criteria and thematic analysis. The evidence indicates that bottled-water safety can be affected by microbiological, chemical, physical, and emerging contaminants originating from source water, treatment processes, production equipment, packaging, storage, and distribution. Microbiological hazards, particularly contamination associated with inadequate source-water protection, sanitation failures, and persistent microorganisms in production environments, remain important concerns. Recent evidence also highlights chemical contaminants associated with source-water pollution and packaging materials, as well as emerging concerns regarding microplastics and other contaminants of emerging concern. Further evidence demonstrates the importance of preventive food safety management systems, including Good Hygiene Practices, Good Manufacturing Practices, HACCP, and broader food safety management systems, in controlling contamination throughout the production chain. For Uzbekistan, the findings indicate a need to strengthen source-water monitoring, hygienic production practices, laboratory capacity, regulatory surveillance, and implementation of preventive food safety management systems. The study identifies important gaps in Uzbekistan-specific evidence and recommends greater producer-level monitoring and research to support evidence-based regulation and continuous improvement of bottled-water safety.

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