The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement on Friday that two bottled water brands, one from the United Kingdom and the other from South Korea, were found to contain enterococci*.
According to the statement, the two problematic products are “Still Scottish Mountain Water”, branded “Marks & Spencer”, with a capacity of 750 ml and a best-before date of December 2026, and “LOTTE ICIS Natural Mineral Water 8.0”, branded “Lotte”, with a capacity of 2 litres and a best-before date of September 22, 2027.
The statement also said that according to the testing data, both product samples were found each to contain a colony-forming unit (CFU) of enterococci per 250 millilitres, which does not comply with Macau’s General Guidelines for Hygiene and Quality of Bottled Drinking Water.
In the statement, the bureau urges consumers who have purchased products from the affected batches, whether through online shopping, purchasing agents or other channels, to stop drinking them immediately. The trade has been ordered to cease the supply and sale of the affected products without delay, the statement said.
*Enterococci are a genus of Gram-positive, facultative anaerobic bacteria that typically occur in pairs (diplococci) or short chains. They are part of the normal intestinal flora of humans and many animals. Enterococci can cause healthcare-associated infections, e.g., urinary tract infections, bacteraemia, endocarditis, wound infections, especially in immunocompromised or hospitalised patients. - DeepSeek
This undated handout photo downloaded last night from the Marks & Spencer online supermarket shows the problematic product that was found to contain enterococci.
This undated handout photo downloaded last night from the Lotte Chilsung Mall online supermarket shows the problematic product that was found to contain enterococci.
