Tag: Bottled water expiration

While pure water itself does not technically expire, the plastic bottle it is contained in can degrade over time, potentially releasing harmful chemicals into the liquid. This raises important questions about the safety of drinking expired alkaline water and what happens to its beneficial properties after the best-by date has passed.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), commercially bottled water has an unlimited shelf life if properly produced and sealed. So, does packaged water go bad? The truth is, while the water itself doesn't expire, the plastic bottle it comes in does degrade, which can affect the water’s taste, odor, and quality over time.

While water itself does not technically expire, the expiration date printed on a bottle refers to the packaging, not the liquid inside. This means whether you can drink 2 year old bottled water is less about the water's age and more about how the plastic bottle has degraded over time.

According to the U.S. FDA, water itself has an unlimited shelf life, but what about its container? When asking, is 5 year old bottled water still good, the answer hinges on storage conditions and the bottle’s integrity, not the water itself.

While pure water itself does not technically expire, bottled water does have a limited shelf life due to its packaging and storage conditions. When kept in gallon jugs, the quality and taste of the water can degrade over time, influenced by the plastic container it is stored in.