DEP ART ME NT OF HE ALT H
PHILIP D. MURPHY
Governor

PO BOX 360
TRENTON, N.J. 08625-0360

www.nj.gov/health

SHEILA Y. OLIVER

JUDITH M. PERSICHILLI, RN, BSN, MA

Lt. Governor

Acting Commissioner

August 12, 2019
Honorable Ras J. Baraka
Mayor, City of Newark
City Hall
920 Broad Street
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Dear Mayor Baraka:
Our understanding is that the bottled water that you received and are distributing has a "best by" date
that is past due.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food, has
determined that there is no limit to the shelf life of bottled water, if it is produced properly and is
unopened. The FDA does not require an expiration date on bottled water. Some companies still place
date-based lot codes on bottled water containers to assist in managing stock rotation at distribution and
retails points. Therefore, based on that information we believe that the water is safe to drink.
For additional information, please see the following links--

https://www.bottledwater.org/education/bottled-water-storage
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/bottled-water-everywhere-keeping-it-safe
Regards,

Judith M. Persichilli, RN, BSN, MA