Does Bottled Water Really Expire?

Water is one of those things that makes you go "huh?" when you see the expiration date at the top of the bottle. Can water really expire? Water doesn't really go bad, does it? Why does bottled water have an expiration date? Can bottled water really go bad?

The thing you really need to worry about when it comes to bottled water is the bottle itself. The plastic bottle is what actually expires, and this can really alter the flavor of the water it contains.

Origins

In order to understand the water bottle's expiration date, you must first take a look at when and why it began. It all started in New Jersey in 1987. A state law was passed which required any food or beverage (not including water) to be labeled with an expiration date that was two years from the package or bottling date. Bottling companies in New Jersey deemed it to be highly inefficient to date certain bottles and not others, (i.e. only dating soda bottles and requiring a separate assembly line for water bottles) so they started labeling all of the bottles with an expiration date exactly two years from the date they bottled the water.

This law was eventually amended and no longer exists. However, labeling for expiration has become ingrained in the bottling process. Many companies who bottle soda and water must label their bottles because soda does indeed expire, and since the bottles are already labeled with an expiration date, it would be silly to remove the extra step and use a separate machine just for bottled water.

What Really Expires?

Most water is typically purified before it's bottled and sold, excluding of course natural spring waters which are pure in their natural forms and also won't expire. So it isn't the water that you need to worry about, it's the plastic the water comes in.

Bottled water is packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (also known as PET) plastic and plastic water cooler jugs usually come in high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Our 5 gallon bottles, and smaller individual water bottles are packaged almost exclusively in recycled PET plastics. These plastics are slightly porous, which means that the water can pick up smells and tastes from outside the packaging. If you ever kept a case of bottled water down in your basement for an emergency, you may have cracked one of them open and tasted some interesting, dusty, musty flavors. The water inside the bottles is okay to drink, it just tastes terrible. Ensuring water bottles are not left in hot cars or out in direct sunlight can prevent this contamination process and significantly increase the shelf life of your bottled water.

Moral of the Story

Basically, as long as you're storing your water sealed and unopened like you would any other food or beverage, you're going to be fine. Water doesn't expire, and plastic doesn't expire, but the bottles the water is packaged in may affect the taste of your drinking water.

When properly packaged and sealed from outside contaminants, water will not spoil and has an indefinite shelf life. However, with improper storage, the plastic bottle that the water is stored in can potentially cause contamination.

At Eldorado, we are always pleased to offer water for any of your needs. We, too, bottle our water for your convenience, and we offer water delivery to your home or office. If you prefer plain, cool, crisp, clean spring water, we’ve got you covered.