Health Ministry to probe case of bottled water banned in S'pore

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry will investigate the case of bottled drinking water from a Malaysian manufacturer which has been banned in Singapore due to the presence of bacteria.

Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said more information is needed to carry out the investigation as the ministry also noticed that the manufacturer has some products sold locally.

"We need more information on the product as to what batch was affected and the source of the problem.

"If the products which are sold domestically are affected, we will immediately do a product recall," he told a press conference at the Vegetable Retailers Association dinner here tonight.

Earlier today, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) noted that the import of all bottled drinking and mineral water from the manufacturer is not permitted with immediate effect, following the detection of the presence of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, commonly found in faeces, soil, water and sewage, for the second time.

Lee said action will be taken against the manufacturer according to the Food Act 1983 if it was found to be at fault.

He said the Health Ministry is working closely with the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry to encourage all the relevant industries to use the track and trace system to ensure food products are clean and safe.

"With the track and trace system, we can ensure the process of distributing food products, from packaging to logistics until delivery, is safe.

"From the system, if any problem of cleanliness occurs, we need to recall to see where the product has gone to which outlet or market and from there we can detect the cause of it," he said.

He added that the track and trace system is also important for the food export business as it also serves as a guideline to ensure the products are safe.

-- BERNAMA