Mild

In contrast to tap water, mineral water in Austria must fulfil certain criteria set out in the Mineral Water and Spring Water Ordinance. These include, for example, that the water must be of original purity, i.e. it must not be treated. It must also have a certain mineral content, be of a constant composition and, of course, be free from harmful microorganisms.  In short: nothing is changed in terms of the essential ingredients. It remains exactly as it is - fresh from the Hohe Tauern directly into the bottle. 

Our Gastein mineral water is of course microbiologically tested at the source to ensure its impeccable quality. We therefore ensure that it does not contain any pathogens. However, its natural microflora is retained. However, this microflora can be found in any water that comes from a natural source. It is therefore absolutely harmless.

The mild mineralisation of Gastein mineral water ensures that the cells are particularly well supplied with water. As a result, harmful substances can be removed more easily and the body is quickly supplied with oxygen and nutrients. This increases our vitality - we can concentrate better and are more efficient.

Gastein mineral water is a pure natural product because it comes from the unspoilt nature of the Hohe Tauern. On its way to the spring, it seeps through the various layers of rock in the Alpine mountains, enriching itself with natural minerals and valuable trace elements. This is how it reaches our spring in Bad Gastein after a long journey. And because we leave it as it is, Gastein mineral water is 100% pure nature.

Just like tap water, mineral water supplies the body's cells with vital fluids. However, unlike tap water, mineral water cannot be contaminated by the in-house pipe system. In the case of Gasteiner, this original purity of the water is particularly exceptional, as it is the only mineral water to come from the primary rock of the protected region of the Hohe Tauern National Park.

When our bottles are returned, they are fed into a recycling process. Our PET bottles are therefore turned back into new PET bottles - we would like to take this opportunity to refer to the company PET2PET: the majority of Austrian PET bottles are recycled here. 

TFA is the abbreviation for trifluoroacetate, also known as trifluoroacetic acid. TFA is formed as a degradation product of many fluorinated compounds and has been categorised by the OECD as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, known as PFAS, since 2021. These can be contained in plant protection products (pesticides), but also in coolants, for example.

TFA is very stable and difficult to break down, which means that it can accumulate in the environment and persist for a long time. As it is also highly soluble in water, it can enter the entire water cycle, for example through precipitation.

In Austria, there is currently no fixed, specific limit value or guide value for TFA in drinking water. The Austrian Drinking Water Ordinance - which is based on the EU Drinking Water Directive - only specifies a parameter value for PFAS in total, which must be complied with from 12 January 2026. Whether TFA should be included in this has not yet been determined and is being discussed at European level.

As regards the health risk, AGES (Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety) points out that the acute toxicity of TFA is very low according to current knowledge and that the human toxicological relevance of TFA is currently being reassessed in several plant protection product renewal procedures. 

Link to AGES

One of the most common measurement methods is high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). There is currently no uniformly recognised, harmonised measurement method for TFA. One does not yet exist.

Studies on this topic are therefore not representative, and the comparability of test results and the definition of limit values based on such results is therefore problematic.