Woolworths shoppers have complained of a “strange taste and smell” in bottles of water bought from the chain’s supermarkets.
As of Monday, there have been nine complaints about 600ml bottles of Pureau water purchased in Melbourne stores in the past two weeks.
All complaints originated from water in batch #23926 which was delivered from Pureau’s Sydney factory to Woolworths Dandenong on 29 August.
Pureau said the smell was caused by repair work carried out on a drainage pipe beneath the production line where the bottles are filled.
A Pureau spokesman said the line had broken “a few metres underground” and there was a smell coming from the drain.
‘These repairs were carried out as soon as the problem was identified, however the smell was evident for some time after the rectification work,’ they said. 7News.
We believe this odor may have created the odor problems evident in some of the bottles from this day’s production.
‘A change has been initiated in our bottling line start-up procedures while the odor is evident, including, where necessary, drain cleaning and air movement using fans.
Nine complaints have been made about 600ml bottles of Pureau (pictured) due to an “odour issue”. A company spokesperson said the smell could be coming from a burst pipe.
“We hope that the work has resolved the problem and that the smell will disappear in the short term.”
Pureau added that each batch is always independently tested by the ALS accredited laboratory and the affected batch has been approved for food safety.
“Based on the microtests, we believe it is just an odor issue, as the test results would show whether the water itself was contaminated in any way with organic or inorganic substances,” the spokesperson said.
Pureau’s 600ml water bottles are made in the same factory as the company’s 2, 5 and 10 litre bottles, which have yet to receive any complaints.
The bottles had been delivered from Pureau’s factory in Sydney to Woolworths Dandenong (archive photo of a Woolworths store)
Every Woolworths shopper who alerted the company will receive a full refund and has received a sincere apology, Pureau said.
The water company is conducting further testing for “peace of mind” and Daily Mail Australia understands Pureau is conducting a voluntary recall of the affected batch from retailers despite it being safe to consume.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Pureau for comment.
Woolworths has also been contacted about the incident but said Pureau could provide more specific information about its product.