The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced in statement yesterday that an abnormal sample of 18.9-litre potable water from the local “NK Drinking Water Factory” company, was found to exceed official bacteria standards, after the bureau strengthened inspection of local water bottling plants.
It was the second time NK brand’s 18.9-litre potable water containers were found to exceed official bacterial standards and recalled this year.
According to the IAM statement, the bottler has been ordered to recall and remove the affected batch from the market and suspend all production activities, as well as conduct comprehensive cleaning and disinfection of its entire production line. Furthermore, the company’s other batches of bottled water have also been sealed for further testing.
Investigations confirmed that the contaminated batch was not supplied to any local hospitals, schools, or social welfare institutions, the statement said.
The statement noted that the problematic sample was collected from the “NK Drinking Water Factory,” located at Keck Seng Industrial Centre II at 157 Avenida de Venceslau de Morais (慕拉士大馬路), the statement said , adding that the product in question is sold under the name of “NK Purified Drinking Water,” in 18.9-litre containers with a bottling date of October 13 this year, and test results showed the Pseudomonas aeruginosa* content exceeded the microbial limits set in local food safety guidelines, so it is at a “substandard level”.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has notified the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) of the findings, the statement said.
The statement noted that is not the NK Drinking Water Factory’s first violation, as it was previously ordered to halt production and sales on July 1 this year due to similar bacterial contamination in its bottled water. After implementing corrective measures and passing re-inspection, the factory resumed operations on August 22, and its third-party water quality inspection report, submitted in accordance with the guidelines for a batch inspected on September 15 this year, showed no abnormalities at that time.
The statement underscored that all local manufacturers must strictly adhere to all guidelines concerning factory hygiene, source water treatment, product testing, packaging, storage, and transportation, and the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) urged local enterprises to fully implement effective internal food safety management systems to safeguard consumer health.
Consumers with enquiries about bottled water from NK may contact the Food Safety Hotline on 2833 8181.
*Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, opportunistic pathogen commonly found in soil, water, and moist environments, causing infections in immunocompromised individuals. – DeepSeek
This undated handout photo provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday shows an 18.9-litre container of the locally bottled water brand NK.
