An E. coli scare has prompted a California-based bottled water producer to recall some of its products. Photo: Internet Source

Mrs Karia J. Christopher, Director in the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs (DTCA), said her department has since checked with the two main distributors of bottled water Rite Way/Road Town Wholesale and One Mart where it was confirmed that only One Mart carries Niagara brand water. However, it was made very clear that the establishment only sells the Niagara Distilled water and not the "spring" water that is said to be the suspected brand. Photo: VINO/File

This a question that was put to this news site this morning June 24, 2015 by a caller who said she is very concerned. A quick browse of the internet to ascertain the authenticity of the concern raised found that CNN reported on the recall just this morning, under the headline “14 brands of bottled water recalled due to possible E. coli”.

According to that internationally trusted news site, an E. coli scare has prompted a California-based bottled water producer to recall some of its products.

Aware of this, Environmental Health Officers throughout the territory are contacting retailers to ensure the affected products are pulled from store shelves and have advised that Rite Way, a major supplier, does not import Niagara water.

This morning June 24, 2015 Mrs Karia J. Christopher, Director in the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs (DTCA), said her department has since checked with the two main distributors of bottled water Rite Way/Road Town Wholesale and One Mart where it was confirmed that only One Mart carries Niagara brand water. However, it was made very clear that the establishment only sells the Niagara Distilled water and not the "spring" water, which is said to be the suspected brand.

Niagara Bottling LLC said, according to CNN, the recall is out of an abundance of caution. There have been no signs of its products being contaminated or reports of consumers falling sick, it said.

The family-owned company said the operator of a spring that supplies two of its plants failed to report evidence of E. coli at the source. The bottler said it halted production, disinfected bottling lines and issued a voluntary recall.

Niagara spokesman Stan Bratskeir said the plant was notified by the Department of Environmental Control and the Department of Agriculture of the positive test result for E. coli.

He added that the company had terminated its relationship with Far Away Springs, the water source. Far Away Springs released a statement conceding that while there was a possibility that spring water samples at the source may not have been bacteria free, every load was tested at the receiving plant, "where all results have been perfect".

VI responds

Meanwhile, the Government of the Virgin Islands announced that it has taken swift action to safeguard consumers in light of a recall of Niagara spring water due to possible contamination of E. coli bacteria.

According to a GIS release issued on June 23, 2015, Deputy Environmental Health Officer at the Environmental Health Division, Mrs Yolanda Penn said, “The affected product is spring water, not the purified water manufactured at the Hamburg, PA facility between June 10 and June 18.”

It further advised that residents check any Niagara water in their possession for the dates listed to ascertain whether products they have bought are affected.

The affected products have codes that begin with the letter H (for Hamburg) or A (for Allentown). The first digit after the letter indicates the number of the production line. The next two numbers indicate the day, then the month in letters, the year, and then the time, based on a 24-hour clock. For example, A610JUN15 2000 indicates that the bottle of water was produced via Allentown line 6, and manufactured on June 10, 2015, at 8:00 p.m.

What is E. coli?

According to our research, E. coli (Escherichia coli) is the name of a germ, or bacterium, that lives in the digestive tracts of humans and animals.

There are many types of E. coli, and most of them are harmless. But some can cause bloody diarrhoea. Some strains of E. coli bacteria (such as a strain called O157:H7) may also cause severe anemia or kidney failure, which can lead to death.

Other strains of E. coli can cause urinary tract infections or other infections.

You get an E. coli infection by coming into contact with the faeces, or stool, of humans or animals. This can happen when you drink water or eat food that has been contaminated by faeces.