Water as a resource has gained increased attention over the last years. In the past water availability had been taken for granted in many parts of the world. Today water footprint calculations in the remits of sustainability efforts and limited water accessibility have become reality for most food and beverage manufacturers. Therefore, an update of the existing water guidelines in EHEDG was deemed necessary and the WG started in 2023. Focus for the update was looking into alternative sources of water, including reuse of water. That approach not only required an update of treatments for that purpose, but also an approach to ensure adequate water quality. EU legislation EC 852/2004 requires recycled water to be used in food processing / as ingredient not to cause contamination of the food – and in that respect refers to potable water with the option of other water qualities possible when agreed by authorities. The latter would need an adequate risk assessment to ensure that such water would not cause a contamination – and that approach towards “fit-for-purpose” water has been added to the GL 28. Since that includes monitoring of relevant biological, chemical, physical contaminants a section on those was also included in the update of the guideline. In that respect the guideline supports integration of water management into production systems by providing necessary information and approaches for systematic documentation, inclusion into HACCP systems and regular monitoring and verification activities.