In a bid to crack the whip on counterfeits and duplicates available in the market, the Tamil Nadu food safety authority has started the process of testing packaged drinking water brands, sources told CNBC-TV18.

Popular, as well as local drinking water brands, are under the FSDA scanner, the sources said.

Chennai has been facing a severe drinking water crisis and therefore the chances of counterfeit products increase, said an official close to the development.

As part of the process, the FSDA has started collecting water samples from manufacturing units as well as random samples from the market, said the sources, adding that samples are being drawn from smaller packs as well as larger 5 litre and 20-litre packs.

As of now, no official complaints on counterfeits have been received by the state food safety authority.

In terms of market share, Parle Bisleri holds 27 percent, Coca-Cola (Kinley) holds about 14 percent and PepsiCo’s Aquafina holds about 12.5 percent in the packaged drinking water space.

First Published:Jul 9, 2019 1:18 PM IST