Several drinking water recalls are ongoing as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set the risk level for a brand that recently tested positive for coliforms, a bacteria unlikely to cause illness but that can indicate other pathogens.
The FDA issued a Class III risk classification to Berkeley Club Beverages Inc.’s recall of 150,000 bottles of water last Friday. The recall was issued in September.
A Class III is awarded when “a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.” It is the least serious of the three risk levels for recalled products.
The Berkeley Club Beverages recall joins three other ongoing drinking water recalls.
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Fiji Water
More than 78,500 cases of Fiji Natural Artesian Water 500 mL with a case code of 6 32565 00004 3 and a bottle code of 6 32565 00001 2 were recalled in March after company testing revealed levels of manganese and three bacterial genera, though the bacteria identified were nonpathogenic and nonharmful, a Fiji spokesperson told Newsweek.
The Fiji recall was resolved immediately and it is available again for purchase, though it appears to have not yet been updated on the FDA list of recalls.
The water was distributed throughout Washington, and nationwide through online sales. The FDA issued a Class III classification for the recall in late May.
Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water
More than 3,800 cases of Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water Naturally Alkaline Electrolytes Deep Well Water in 1-liter bottles with the codes WB123275 and WB123276 were recalled in November 2023 after customers complained of “floating particles” in the water. The water was distributed in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Michigan, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Colorado.
The floating particles were not identified in the FDA recall, and the FDA issued a Class II classification to the recall in April.
Newsweek reached out to Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water by email for comment.
Real Alkalized Water
A Class I recall, the most serious of FDA recalls in which there is risk of serious health impacts or death from exposing the recalled product, was issued for Real Alkalized Water, packed in 16.9 oz., 1 Liter, 1.5 Liter, 1-Gallon and 5-Gallon plastic bottles in May 2021 after the “FDA was notified of cases of acute liver failure after consumption of Real Water.”
A lawsuit alleging that the company’s alkaline water contained the toxic chemical hydrazine, which ultimately led to liver failure, prompted a $3 billion court ruling in June, but the recalled water was still being sold at various outlets, including at a Beverly Hills, California, wine store, as of late September. During the summer, Newsweek was able to order the water and have it delivered from a website for South Carolina-based Caliber Grocers.
Newsweek reached out to Caliber Grocers via email on Tuesday for comment.
Some lawsuits related to the allegations are ongoing years after Real Water issued a voluntary recall of all water within its brand in 2021 after revealing that the water was linked to a nonviral hepatitis diagnosis reported in the Las Vegas area in November 2020. The allegations led to multiple investigations from the FDA and the Department of Justice. The company ceased operations following the recall until it could comply with FDA standards, which it has yet to do.
The web address given in the recall led to a foreign gambling site.
