India, Oct. 14 -- LUCKNOW The state Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has made Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification mandatory for all packaged drinking and mineral water manufacturers. The regulatory tightening comes after statewide laboratory tests revealed that nearly 78% of collected water samples failed quality norms, with 176 samples declared unsafe for human consumption.

Under an immediate directive issued by FSDA commissioner Roshan Jacob, no new manufacturing unit in UP will be granted a food safety licence or registration without first securing a BIS certificate..

For the state's 968 existing manufacturing units-including those operating in Uttar Pradesh under central licences - the department has set a stric...