NEW YORK — An E. coli scare has prompted a California-based bottled water producer to recall some of its products. Niagara Bottling LLC said the recall is purely out of an abundance of caution. There have been no signs of its product 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.
The recall affects water bottled from June 10 through 18 in two Pennsylvania plants only.
Niagara has issued instructions to consumers on its website on how to properly read the date on bottle labels to determine if purchased water should be returned.
Consumers won’t find mainstream brand names on Niagara’s recall list, which includes mostly store and generic labels: Acadia, Acme, Big Y, Best Yet, 7-Eleven, Niagara, Nature’s Place, Pricerite, Superchill, Morning Fresh, Shaws, Shoprite, Western Beef Blue and Wegman’s.
There are many types of E. coli bacteria, some of which are not harmful to people and are commonly found in human intestines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But some strains cause diseases that can be deadly, if ingested by humans.
Public water works and water bottlers typically filter and disinfect their water to rid it of debris and contaminants, including bacteria.
Niagara said it routinely tests spring source water and its finished product to ensure its safety. The company said it has detected no E. coli contamination in either.
