What is water?
Water is the most fundamental ingredient in food manufacturing, serving as the base liquid in countless products from beverages to baked goods. It appears on ingredient labels in various forms including filtered water, purified water, spring water, sparkling water, and carbonated water. As the most commonly listed ingredient by weight in many processed foods, water plays a critical role in determining product texture, consistency, and shelf stability across virtually every food category.
153,945 products in our database contain water. 56,169 of them (36%) are Level 4, the most processed of our four levels.
Which foods contain water?
Water is found as a listed ingredient in beverages, soups, broths, sauces, gravies, frozen meals, canned vegetables, bread, baked goods, ice cream, yogurt, condiments, baby food, and the vast majority of processed and packaged food products.
The Original Caesar Dressing
Family Recipe Italian Dressing
Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
House Italian Made with Peramesan Cheese
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Deli Fresh Chipotle Seasoned Chicken Breast
Campbell's Sauces Pineapple Teriyaki
Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut Butter Cup
Ripe Strawberry Premium Ice Cream Wrapped in Sweet, Pillowy Dough Mochi Ice Cream, Ripe Strawberry
Pepperoni Duo Melted Mozzarella Cheese Layered with Slices and Chunks of Pepperoni Stone Baked Flatbread, Pepperoni
Garlic Bread Loaf, Garlic
Kellogg's Eggo Pancakes Blueberry 3.03oz
Andy Capp's Bbq Flavored Fries, 3 Oz, 3 Oz
Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies 24 Count
Kodiak Wheat Bread
Garden Herb Vinaigrette Dressing with an Avocado Oil Blend
Del Monte, Sliced Peaches
Freestone Slices
Duncan Hines, Pie Filling & Topping, Apple
Premium Chicken Breast with Rib Meat Chunk in Water
Del Monte, Sliced Bartlett Pears in Heavy Syrup
Del Monte, Sliced Peaches Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup
Del Monte, Peach Chunks, Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup
Del Monte, Halves Pear
Hormel, Premium Chicken Breast in Water
Duncan Hines, Comstock, Original Pie Filling & Topping, Royal Blueberry
Great Value, Chunk Chicken Breast with Rib Meat in Water
Thai Kitchen, Dipping & All-Purpose Sauce, Sweet Red Chili
Kroger, Original Coffee Creamer
Food Lion, Coffee Creamer, Original
Hannaford, Coffee Creamer
La Choy Bean Sprouts, 14 Oz
Bush's Great Northern Beans 15.8 Oz
Annie's Organic Dijon Mustard
Giant, Nature's Promise, Organic Pitted Kalamata Olives
Grace, Hot Pepper Sauce, Sweet N' Spicy, Mild
To Go! Kalamata Pitted Greek Olives
House Foods, Tofu
Maille, Traditional Dijon Mustard, Hot
Whole Foods Market, Linguine Pasta
Straight Cut Rice Noodles
Thin Rice Noodles, Spaghetti
Gemelli Hemp Artisanal Pasta
Jamaican Authentic Browning
Pasta, Conchiglie
New Seasons
Pasta, Fusilli
New Seasons
Vintage, Seltzer
Agua Mineral
Georgian Natural Mineral Water
Artesian Water From Norway
Caffeine Free Seltzer Water
Famous Unsweet Tea
Natural Pure Sparkling Water
All Natural Original Sparkling Seltzer Water, Original
Premium Artesian 7.6 Ph Water
Original Belle Vie Sparkling Water, Original
Aquafina Water (16.9 Fl Oz - 32) 540.8 Fluid Ounce 32 Pack Plastic Bottles
Aquafina Water (12-16.9 Fluid Ounce) 202.8 Fluid Ounce 12 Pack Plastic Bottles
Water Cress
Unsweetened Dried Watermelon, Unsweetened
Organic Chewy Watermelon Slices
Also known as
Water can appear in ingredient lists under several names. If you see any of the following, this is the ingredient family you are looking at:
Function
Water serves as the primary solvent and processing medium in food manufacturing, dissolving sugars, salts, and other soluble ingredients to create uniform mixtures. It provides the liquid base for beverages, soups, sauces, and broths, and is essential for hydrating dry ingredients in baking. In frozen products, water content determines ice crystal formation and texture. Water also facilitates heat transfer during cooking and processing, enables chemical reactions like gluten development in bread dough, and controls the viscosity and mouthfeel of finished products.
Sources
Water used in food manufacturing is sourced from municipal water supplies, wells, or natural springs, and undergoes various purification treatments depending on the application. Common treatments include reverse osmosis, carbon filtration, UV sterilization, and deionization. Carbonated water has carbon dioxide dissolved under pressure. Mineral water retains naturally occurring minerals from its source. The quality and mineral content of water can significantly affect the taste and characteristics of the final food product.
Health considerations
Water is an essential nutrient required for all biological functions in the human body. The FDA regulates bottled water under 21 CFR Part 165, with specific standards for different water types (spring, purified, mineral). Municipal water used in food manufacturing must meet EPA Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
Regulatory
When water is an ingredient in a food product, it must be listed on the ingredient label in descending order of predominance by weight. Bottled water has specific FDA standards of identity defining terms like spring water, purified water, and mineral water. Water used in food manufacturing must meet applicable safety and quality standards set by the FDA and EPA.