France releases a new decree clarifying the use of recycled water in the food industry
Last year, France released a water plan with the ambitious objective of saving 10% of water in the country by 2030 through water reuse. The plan included 53 measures to meet three challenges and at the six-month mark, 31 measures had been initiated with 12 finalised.
As part of the continuous implementation of this water plan, in early 2024, the agri-food industry sector was granted the ability to use recycled water for certain types of activities subject to specific authorisation. However, the legislation needed some clarification, specifically around the assessment of the water quality for its intended reuse purpose.
Since the 8th of July, this gap in the legislation has been addressed through the publication of a new decree setting the different uses authorised and the required quality standards for water unfit for human consumption to be reuse for “the preparation, processing, and preservation of goods intended for human consumption by the companies of the food industry”. Provided that all conditions are met, the new decree also notably authorises “the use of certain recycled water as an ingredient in the composition of final food products.”
To learn more about this new decree published in the French Official Journal “Laws and Decrees” NO162 on the 9th July 2024, visit the LegiFrance website here.
(Decree in French).
