One Of The Worst Bottled Water Recalls Affected 2 Million Units Due To Harmful Bacteria

Food recalls are certainly nothing new and can impact everything from fast food chain menus to fresh produce to ... gulp ... even dark chocolate. Recalls can, unfortunately, be widespread and a massive, bottled water recall in 2024 was a stark reminder. Issued for Fiji brand water, this enormous recall involved nearly 2 million bottles of Fiji Natural Artesian Water, sold in 24-pack cases.

This rash of contaminated water occurred in the spring of 2024 for bottles produced in 2023 (so no need to panic-check the bottle you're sipping on now). The voluntary recall was officially issued when the Food and Drug Administration found three types of bacteria, plus elevated levels of manganese, in Fiji's products, which had been distributed nationwide via Amazon and sold in Washington state stores. 

Press coverage continued well into May 2024, when the FDA amended its original recall, reclassifying it down to a level III recall — the least severe of the FDA's rankings. Per the FDA, this means exposure is not likely to cause adverse health consequences. (Comparatively, class I and II denote a greater likelihood of illness or death.) By this point though, Fiji noted most bottles were out of circulation but advised folks continue to check their bottles' lot numbers and return any stragglers for a refund.

Bottled water falls under the purview of the FDA, which for all its oversight, can't always catch contamination before it's too late. And unsettlingly, this Fiji recall was hardly the first (or latest) of its kind. In 2021 and 2023, bottles sold by Real Alkalized Water and Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water were also recalled, and these cases involved more harmful contaminants. Troublingly, investigations into both Fiji and Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic only happened after customers complained of murky, discolored water, and visible floating particles, respectively.

There's a larger conversation, perhaps, to be had about the assumption that bottled must mean safe — in reality, up to 25% of bottled water is just tap water, repackaged. If nothing else, this massive recall serves as a grim reminder that even the high-priced, well-regarded bottled water brands are not immune to risk. And since Fiji didn't provide any detail on how the contamination occurred (or, for that matter, what the three types of bacteria were), it's anyone's guess exactly where and how things went off the rails. 

Most of us can't avoid bottled water entirely — whether due to preference or convenience — and the vast majority of it is safe to drink. This could be another drop in the bucket, though, so to speak, for the argument of just drinking what flows right out of your tap instead.