Introduction. The issues of the water quality and sanitary protection of water bodies in the Russian Federation are constantly in the zone of increased scientific and practical attention. The purpose of the work is a hygienic assessment and determination of ways to improve the drinking water supply of the population in the Russian Federation. Materials and methods. analysis of materials from annual state reports on the state of sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population, data literature, dissertation, and own researches, development of proposals for improving the drinking water supply of the population. Results. A hygienic assessment of the current state of the water supply of the population is presented in terms of the compliance of water with the main criteria, indicators, and regulatory parameters of the water and sanitary legislation of the country is presented. Updated problems and measures to improve the quality of water sources and water used for household and drinking purposes are noted. The problematic issues of improving federal laws and technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union in the field of providing the population with high-quality drinking water are outlined. The terminological, conceptual and essential aspects of the assessment of drinking water as the main food product in terms of the mass consumption of the population are considered. Conclusion. Despite the high level of domestic water legislation, it is necessary to constantly improve it, understanding that water, on the one hand, is the only cleaning liquid on the planet, which is why it is the accumulator of all pollution entering the environment, and, on the other hand, is the most significant according to the average daily mass of consumption, a food product that affects health to the extent that a person spoils it.