Recall of Branded Bottled Waters Due to Elevated Levels of Arsenic

Deub

Hi all,

Bottled waters being recalled from many brands (Dunnes, Aldi, Lidl, Spar, etc) due to arsenic level being above the limit.

More information on the batches impacted here : https://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/food_alerts/bottled_water_recall.html

I have some Lidl bottles bought last week and I checked the dates : June 2021
The batches recalled from Lidl have dates in December 2021, January and February 2021.
Does it mean the issue started over 5 month ago ?

How come we are being made aware now?
Do they not control the water that often?

Thanks

An Ri rua

Thanks for starting the thread. Very interested in this whole process also.

Very murky stuff. Not the arsenic water but the way this is unfolding.
Are they all bottled from the same plant?

Who tests, when do they and did they decide to sample all water then?

Anyone who knows the inside track on FSA procedures, it would be great to hear.
No confidence spoofers, just the facts now.

kathleen37

Wow, Thanks for posting

franglan

What level did it get to? Would the fsai not have to publish that? Typically would be seen where treatment does not sufficiently remove background arsenic in groundwater sources.

An Ri rua

They must all be own-branding from the one source. Del &Rodney. No wait, that would be safe as that was regulated tap water.
Like lots of things in dear old Ireland, poorly regulated until it goes BOOM! Why would they check so many retailers?

wrestlemaniac

Have bottles here in the house affected, are they to be returned to store?

An Ri rua

wrestlemaniac wrote: »

Have bottles here in the house affected, are they to be returned to store?

If you didn't get what you paid for, then yes, of course.

my3cents

How can some batches have elevated levels of Arsenic and some don't?

TheDriver

Seems like it comes from celtic pure according to Dunnes.

4068ac1elhodqr

Maybe a rush of compos will be on the way for anyone drinking loads of these daily?
Very tricky, as would need proof of purchase (and records of batch, through packaging) and indie testing on actual levels, and assumption on any harm (if any) caused.

Another reason to simply use a basic 5-stage filter on the tap water instead.

An Ri rua

TheDriver wrote: »

Seems like it comes from celtic pure according to Dunnes.

Is that a well source? There's multiple retailers affected.

beauf

Is there a ambient level of arsenic in water?

Water John

In the past the water in Lidl and Aldi were different. Couldn't say nowadays.
Couldn't boil Lidl water as the calcium came out of the water, Aldi water was fine.

my3cents

An Ri rua wrote: »

Is that a well source? There's multiple retailers affected.

There are a few different ones and the label can stay the same but the well and the bottler can change. I know a few years back that Lidl had some problem with one of its water suppliers can't remember what it was but I know they changed supplier and source even though the labeling stayed exactly the same. I knew the sales manager of the company that got the new contract.

evosteo

Thanks for this, i was in dunnes on tuesday gone, got a 6 pack of 2 liters and a 24 pack of 500ml, both affected according to the document below, copy and pasted......

Iv been milling it the last few days with the heat, feel sick thinking about it now. You spend the extra few quid for "safe" bottled water and this crap comes out. Unreal

Product
name
Type Pack
size(s)
Best before date(s) Batch
number(s)
Aldi/Comeragh Still water 250 ml;
500 ml;
750 ml;
1.5 litre;
2 litres;
5 litres
17/12/2020, 18/12/2020, 19/12/2020,
20/12/2020, 21/12/2020, 26/12/2020,
27/12/2020, 10/01/2021, 11/01/2021,
18/01/2021, 22/01/2021, 23/01/2021,
30/01/2021, 01/02/2021
168, 169, 170,
171, 172, 177,
178,191,192, 199,
203, 204, 211,
213
Aldi/Comeragh Sparkling
water
500 ml 20/07/2020, 21/07/2020 201, 202
Aldi/Comeragh
Sport
Still water 250 ml,
500 ml
01/02/2021, 17/12/2020 213, 168
Applegreen Still water 1 litre 21/12/2020, 22/12/2020, 23/01/2021 172, 173, 204
Broderick Still water 500 ml 25/01/2021 206
Dunnes Stores Still water 250 ml;
500 ml; 500
ml (sports),
2 litres;
5 litres
16/12/2020, 17/12/2020, 19/12/2020,
20/12/2020, 25/12/2020, 26/12/2020,
27/12/2020, 28/12/2020, 03/01/2021,
04/01/2021, 07/01/2021, 08/01/2021,
09/01/2021, 10/01/2021, 11/01/2021,
12/01/2021, 13/01/2021, 14/01/2021,
15/01/2021, 16/01/2021, 18/01/2021,
19/01/2021, 20/01/2021, 21/01/2021,
22/01/2021, 24/01/2021, 25/01/2021,
26/01/2021, 27/01/2021, 23/01/2021
167, 168, 170,
171, 176, 177,
178, 179, 184,
185, 188, 189,
190, 191, 192,
193, 194, 195,
196, 197,198,
199, 200, 201,
202, 203, 204,
205, 206, 207,
208
Dunnes Stores
Strawberry
Flavour
Still water 500 ml 19/01/2021 200
Dunnes Stores Sparking
water
2 litres 27/06/2020, 28/06/2020, 18/07/2020,
19/07/2020
178, 179, 199,
200
Dunnes Stores
Apple &
Elderflower
Flavoured
Sparkling Irish
Spring Water
Sparkling
water
1.5 litre All sparkling products (including
flavoured): Best Before dates 16 Jun
2020 – 01 Aug 2020 (inclusive)
All batch numbers
within the range
BN167 to BN213
Dunnes Stores
Citrus Medley
Flavoured
Water
Sparkling
water and
still water
1.5 litre All still products (including flavoured):
Best Before dates 16 Dec 2020 – 01
Feb 2021 (inclusive). All sparkling
products (including flavoured): Best
Before dates 16 Jun 2020 – 01 Aug
2020 (inclusive)
All batch numbers
within the range
BN167 to BN213
Dunnes Stores
Lemon & Ginger
Flavoured
Sparkling Irish
Spring Water
Sparkling
water
1.5 litre All sparkling products (including
flavoured): Best Before dates 16 Jun
2020 – 01 Aug 2020 (inclusive)
All batch numbers
within the range
BN167 to BN213

Dunnes Stores
Lemon & Lime
Flavoured
Water
Sparkling
water and
still water
500 ml All still products (including flavoured):
Best Before dates 16 Dec 2020 – 01
Feb 2021 (inclusive). All sparkling
products (including flavoured): Best
Before dates 16 Jun 2020 – 01 Aug
2020 (inclusive)
All batch numbers
within the range
BN167 to BN213
Dunnes Stores
Strawberry
Flavoured
Water
Sparkling
water and
still water
500 ml All still products (including flavoured):
Best Before dates 16 Dec 2020 – 01
Feb 2021 (inclusive). All sparkling
products (including flavoured): Best
Before dates 16 Jun 2020 – 01 Aug
2020 (inclusive)
All batch numbers
within the range
BN167 to BN213
Dunnes Stores
My Family
Favourites Irish
Spring Water
Sparkling
water
2 litres All sparkling products (including
flavoured): Best Before dates 16 Jun
2020 – 01 Aug 2020 (inclusive)
All batch numbers
within the range
BN167 to BN213
Dunnes Stores
Blood Orange &
Strawberry
Flavoured Still
Irish Spring
Water
Still water 1.5 litre All still products (including flavoured):
Best Before dates 16 Dec 2020 – 01
Feb 2021 (inclusive)
All batch numbers
within the range
BN167 to BN213
Dunnes Stores
My Family
Favourites Irish
Spring Water
Still water 250 ml
(kids), 500
ml, 2 litres,
5 litres
All still products (including flavoured):
Best Before dates 16 Dec 2020 – 01
Feb 2021 (inclusive)
All batch numbers
within the range
BN167 to BN213
Dunnes Stores
Raspberry &
Pomegranate
Flavoured Still
Irish Spring
Water
Still water 1.5 litre All still products (including flavoured):
Best Before dates 16 Dec 2020 – 01
Feb 2021 (inclusive)
All batch numbers
within the range
BN167 to BN213
Itica Still water 500 ml 25/12/2020 176
Lidl Still water 250 ml,
750 ml,
2 litres
17/12/2020, 18/12/2020, 21/12/2020,
02/01/2021, 09/01/2021, 30/01/2021,
01/02/2021
168, 169,
172,183, 190,
211, 213
Lidl Sports Still water 250 ml 17/12/2020 168
Londis Still water 500 ml; 500
ml (sports);
1 litre
18/12/2020, 25/01/2021 169, 206
Macari Still water 500 ml 26/12/2020 177
Mace Still water 500 ml; 500
ml (sports),
1 litre
18/12/2020, 25/01/2021 169, 206
Plane Still water 500 ml;
500 ml
(sports)
22/12/2020, 16/12/2020 167, 173
San Marino Still water 500 ml 26/12/2020 177
Spar Still water 250 ml;
500 ml; 500
ml (sports);
750 ml;
1 litre
18/12/2020, 21/12/2020,
22/12/2020, 26/12/2020, 28/01/2021,
29/01/2021, 04/01/2021
169, 172, 173,
177, 185, 209,
210

Water John

Unless the tap water is from a poor source and smells of chlorine, it's probably better than bottled water.

mickdw

Bottled water is nonsense.
Going back many years to my college days where we did alot on water treatment, it was a fact that public supply had to meet higher standards that your average bottled water. Still people will pay good money for bottles yet protest in the street over paying a fraction of that price for the public supply.

north south east west

It's unusual that every Dunnes bottled water is affected bar the 250 ml sparkling. Wonder why this would be, thought it might have been because of the process to make it fizzy But the large sparkling bottles are included.

robindch

evosteo wrote: »

You spend the extra few quid for "safe" bottled water and this crap comes out.

There’s nothing safer about bottled water than the stuff that comes out of your kitchen tap - “spring water” comes out of a tap too, but it’s subject to fewer safety checks and it’s left sitting in shelves, sometimes in the heat, possibly for weeks or months. And it comes in huge bottles which are a complete waste of plastic. And it costs a fortune.

The stuff that comes out of your kitchen tap is fresh, it’s quality-controlled, it’s not standing around in plastic bottles for ages and, in Ireland at least, it’s free at the point of consumption.

It’s completely unbelievable in this day and age that people buy drinking-water for their homes in plastic bottles.

my3cents

robindch wrote: »

There’s nothing safer about bottled water than the stuff that comes out of your kitchen tap - “spring water” comes out of a tap too, but it’s subject to fewer safety checks and it’s left sitting in shelves, sometimes in the heat, possibly for weeks or months. And it comes in huge bottles which are a complete waste of plastic. And it costs a fortune.

The stuff that comes out of your kitchen tap is fresh, it’s quality-controlled, it’s not standing around in plastic bottles for ages and, in Ireland at least, it’s free at the point of consumption.

It’s completely unbelievable in this day and age that people buy drinking-water for their homes in plastic bottles.

In some places in the country the water my be safe but it can taste and look disgusting. I know when we've had rain because the local farm yards get washed down into the river so IW dump a massive load of extra chlorine into the water just to be sure. Then when they change over the filters they handle the new filter material so badly that the water smells and tastes like black mud dug up on the beach.

STB.

robindch wrote: »

There’s nothing safer about bottled water than the stuff that comes out of your kitchen tap - “spring water” comes out of a tap too, but it’s subject to fewer safety checks and it’s left sitting in shelves, sometimes in the heat, possibly for weeks or months. And it comes in huge bottles which are a complete waste of plastic. And it costs a fortune.

The stuff that comes out of your kitchen tap is fresh, it’s quality-controlled, it’s not standing around in plastic bottles for ages and, in Ireland at least, it’s free at the point of consumption.

It’s completely unbelievable in this day and age that people buy drinking-water for their homes in plastic bottles.

Water quality from your tap varies massively throughout Ireland. It also has contains chlorine and flouride.

Bottled water comes in three types. https://www.fsai.ie/faq/bottled_water.html

Its completely unbelievable in this day and age that people do no know that.

tedpan

robindch wrote:

The stuff that comes out of your kitchen tap is fresh, it’s quality-controlled, it’s not standing around in plastic bottles for ages and, in Ireland at least, it’s free at the point of consumption.

This is completely wrong.

I drink water and tea, the water that comes out of my tap tastes like chlorine and is disgusting.

Feets

Is it irrelevant, the source of the water? I wonder why it hasn't been named?

my3cents

Feets wrote: »

Is it irrelevant, the source of the water? I wonder why it hasn't been named?

I wonder why only some batches from that source were contaminated.

How can one batch be OK then the next one contaminated?

If the water is contaminated how on earth can they continue using that sourse?

Deub

my3cents wrote: »

I wonder why only some batches from that source were contaminated.

How can one batch be OK then the next one contaminated?

If the water is contaminated how on earth can they continue using that sourse?

Why bottles sold now have best before dates 5 months than the ones impacted?
Did they sell this contanimated water for 5 mo ths?

GerardKeating

TheDriver wrote: »

Seems like it comes from celtic pure according to Dunnes.

Feets wrote: »

Is it irrelevant, the source of the water? I wonder why it hasn't been named?

was earlier in this thread.

JohnC.

Feets wrote: »

Is it irrelevant, the source of the water? I wonder why it hasn't been named?

Any of it sold as spring water has to have the source on the label. In this case the source appears to be Celtic Pure in Monaghan which is on the labels for Dunnes at least. I assume the rest must be the same source and I know the company does do a lot of own-brand for various shops such as the ones listed in the recall.

bobbyss

I got 6 pack of 2 litres in Dunnes. I can't find any date on the bottle. How do I know if it's affected?

beauf

Surprised how little in the media there is about this.

Is there a normal level of arsenic in Water?

Arsenic is a naturally occurring heavy metal that can cause disease and also affect child development. It can be found in natural water supplies, depending on the geology of the area. There are also water sources that don’t contain the heavy metal. Companies can test for it and also use certain treatment processes to remove it from water.

EPA has also established a 10-ppb standard for arsenic in tap water. And both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) have the same 10 ppb standard for arsenic in drinking water.

Bottled water products that come from groundwater sources (e.g., spring water) may contain naturally occurring arsenic. Purified bottled waters often have lower arsenic levels due to the treatment processes used to make this type of product. However, regardless of the type, bottled water that meets the 10 ppb FDA arsenic standard is safe.

States had a similar issue

https://kingwaterfiltration.com/arsenic-in-bottled-water-what-you-need-to-know/
https://www.consumerreports.org/water-quality/arsenic-in-some-bottled-water-brands-at-unsafe-levels/

STB.

bobbyss wrote: »

I got 6 pack of 2 litres in Dunnes. I can't find any date on the bottle. How do I know if it's affected?

By Batch Numbers and/or Best Before dates....

It is not confined to Dunnes stores own brand products. ALDI, LIDL, Spar, Applegreen, Mace, Londis also among those affected.

All allegedly attributed to Celtic Pure in Monaghan. Shocking that these managed to get by their QA.

Full list here>> https://www.fsai.ie/uploadedFiles/News_Centre/Food_Alerts/Food__Alert_Listings/Table%20for%20food%20alert%20on%20bottled%20water.pdf

bobbyss

Yes but that's what I mean. I can't see any best before date on the bottle that I have.
How are batch numbers stated on the bottles?