‘Room for improvement’ on bottled water standards
The FSAI said there was “still room for improvement”, as a survey found 2% of bottled water samples to be unsatisfactory compared to 7% of similar samples in a 2007 survey.
Four of the 748 samples taken were deemed unsafe and were recalled from the market.
Main findings included:
- 19 of 748 bottled water samples — 2.5% — were unsatisfactory under one or more microbiological standards in legislation.
- Four samples were found to contain E.coli and/or Enterococci, which are the groups of bacteria that are considered the best indicator of the safety of bottled water. The affected batches were removed from the market.
- 11 samples tested positive for coliforms, which indicated possible poor hygiene during the bottling process or poor quality of the source water.
Dr Wayne Anderson, FSAI director of food science and standards, said the results highlighted the need for Irish bottled water companies to ensure products consistently met the highest safety and hygiene standards.
“Bottled water receives no further treatment by the consumer before consumption so its safety and quality are of paramount importance.
“The FSAI welcomes the significant improvements in the microbiological safety and quality of bottled water but there is still work to be done to ensure that no harmful bacteria make it into water and we would urge manufacturers to review their food safety management systems.”
The survey involved analysing 748 water samples from a range of retail outlets and bottled water manufacturers nationwide between September and December 2010.
In all cases where non-compliance was detected, manufacturers were required to take immediate corrective actions, and in the case of the four samples that were considered unsafe for human consumption, the manufacturers recalled the affected batches and the FSAI issued alert notices on its website.
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