Rail Neer, a signature product of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), was ranked as the top performer out of many other reputed packaged drinking water brands from the country by “Consumer Voice” magazine published by Voluntary Organization in Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE).
Voice is member of Consumer International, a consumer oriented organization which works for consumer awareness, supported by Ministry of Consumer Affairs, under Jago Grahak Jago campaign.
In tests conducted among 12 reputed packaged drinking water brands by VOICE, Rail Neer manufactured by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has been adjudged as the no 1 brand. Rail Neer was also found to be the value-for-money brand, which costs ₹ 15 a litre, as against the general price of ₹ 20 per litre for other brands. The twelve brands which were tested are Rail Neer, Mc Dowell’s, Bisleri, Bonaqua, Xalta, More, Kinley, Icelings, Bailey, Royal Blue, A4X and Aquafina.
Considering that packaged drinking water is consumed by an ever-increasing population, the rules governing its sourcing and treatment processes have to be strictly conformed to. In order to find out if unhealthy packaged drinking water brands are being sold in the Indian market, Consumer Voice tested a dozen top brands – on the basis of their market share.
As per the magazine Consumer Voice, test programme for packaged drinking water was based on IS: 14543: 2004 with the latest amendments. Test parameters were mainly based on IS in order to judge the overall quality, as also on the requirements of FSS Regulations, 2011, which cover the product requirements. 12 brands of one-litre packaged drinking water were tested on quality, acceptability and sensory parameters. The testing was conducted in an NABL accredited laboratory capable of testing and analysing packaged drinking water as per the mentioned standards. The key parameters for which the 12 brands were tested included presence of undesirable substances and microbiological organisms, pesticide residues, toxic/heavy metals, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH level, radioactivity, turbidity and colour.
While all the brands were found not surpassing the maximum permissible limit for various minerals, toxic substances and residual pesticides, the brands also met the requirement set by Indian Standards in terms of colour, TDS, turbidity and pH. Few brands had total colony count of bacteria higher than the maximum permissible limit, and hence declared not fit for consumption. IRCTC’s Rail Neer topped in all the parameters and hence was graded as the no. 1 brand of the country.
Currently IRCTC has seven Rail Neer plants located at Delhi, Patna, Palur, Ambernath, Amethi, Parassala and Bilaspur producing approx. 27 Crores bottles a year. One more plant at Nagpur is expected to be commissioned soon.