Nationwide water recall update as FDA issues level of concern

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an update regarding a previous recall for water bottles sold nationwide.

In March, the FDA announced a recall of over 70,000 cases of Fiji Natural Artesian Water bottles over concerns that they were contaminated with manganese.

“Firm testing revealed manganese in addition to three bacterial genera,” the FDA said in a recall statement.

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However, the FDA issued an update last week, which lowered the classification of the water bottle recall to a Class III recall.

The FDA website states that a Class III recall is “a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.”

In comparison, a Class I recall from the FDA is “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”

On X, formerly Twitter, Fiji responded to questions regarding the recall in March and said: “We learned of a quality issue affecting select FIJI Water 500mL (24-Pack) cases with PRD dates of Nov. 11, 2023, Nov. 12, 2023, Nov. 13, 2023, Nov. 24, 2023, and Nov. 25, 2023 sold through Amazon.com.”

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“The notice sent by Amazon does not accurately reflect the issue. We were notified of a quality issue with complaints of discoloration in select product with PRD dates of Nov. 11, 12, 13, 2023, and Nov. 24, 25, 2023,” Fiji said in another post.

“FIJI Water remains safe to buy and consume. This is a quality issue only affecting the specific lots sold on Amazon.com between February 1, 2024 and March 3, 2024 with PRD dates of Nov. 11, 2023, Nov. 12, 2023, Nov. 13, 2023, Nov. 24, 2023, and Nov. 25, 2023,” the company said.

In a statement to KSNT news in Kansas, a spokesperson for Fiji said: “The FDA classification announced yesterday relates to a matter from several months ago that never posed any health or safety risk.”

“It affected products that were sold through only one distributor, and 99% of all those affected bottles were reclaimed with the remainder in warehouses to be returned. There is no higher priority to us than the safety and quality of Fiji Water,” the spokesperson told the local news outlet. “There is no health or safety risk posed from manganese or bacteria in the recalled lots of FIJI Water. Moreover, FIJI Water conducts regular testing to ensure consumers enjoy the soft, smooth taste of FIJI Water that they expect and love.”

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According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), manganese is defined as a trace element and eating a small amount is needed to stay healthy.

“Exposure to excess levels of manganese may occur from breathing air, particularly where manganese is used in manufacturing, and from drinking water and eating food. At high levels, it can cause damage to the brain,” the CDC states.

Newsweek reached out to the FDA via email and Fiji via its website for comment.