Batches of “Nestlé Pure Life Water Bottles 330ml” which were manufactured on July 27 in a factory in the Ma'an province South of Jordan, was reportedly contaminated with the Pseudomonas bacteria.
Individuals with a weakened immune system are most vulnerable to Pseudomonas bacterial infection. Common symptoms of the infection include pain in the ear, skin rash, pneumonia, fever, and headache.
Jordan’s Ministry of Health has ordered the withdrawal of the product, explaining that the bottled water did not conform to the required standards and specifications.
It did not indicate the presence of Pseudomonas bacteria in the bottled water but warned that it could be unsafe to consume the bottled water.
It was the US embassy in Jordan that revealed the presence of Pseudomonas bacteria in the product in a health alert.
Nestlé Waters had withdrawn the affected products on September 1.
"We would like to confirm that the quality and safety of our products and consumers’ health are our utmost priority and we are currently working closely and in full compliance with the relevant authorities to complete their investigations. The analysis and testing are still ongoing and it is still early to provide more details related to the results," Mazen Kayyali, Business Executive Officer at Nestlé Waters Jordan said in response to FoodNavigator-Asia's queries.
The firm added that the rest of its products on the market were safe for consumption.
Water shortages
Jordan faces the problem of water shortage due to its geographical location in the region.
Certain residents living in Ajloun Governorate, a hilly part of northern Jordan, did not receive water for more than 20 days in July this year, local media Roya News reported.
The lack of water was diagnosed as a “pumping issue.”
The country’s Ministry of Health also reported a spike in the number of hepatitis A cases which might be linked to the consumption of rainwater last month.
The director of Ajloun’s Health Affairs Directorate Dr Tayseer Enab said that they had formed an investigation team to inspect water samples from the affected town to ensure that there were no contaminated water sources.
To tackle water shortage, Jordan has signed two grant agreements worth $166 million with the US last month.
The agreements would 1) improve the country’s Zara-Maeen water treatment plant 2) drive the replacement of the main and tertiary pipelines and 3) replace traditional water meter with those that can provide more accurate readings.
Jordan’s national water strategy 2016-2025 aims to generate additional water supply and to reduce Jordan’s water loss from 43% to 25% by the year 2025.
