The president of Real Water has agreed to recall and destroy all his company’s products over claims contamination killed a woman and gave kids hepatitis
Real Water, which is based in Las Vegas, agreed to the drastic measure after being sued by the Department of Justice, it was reported Friday.
The company’s president Brent Jones, a Scientologist and former Nevada legislator, agreed to the destruction amid claims contaminated Real Water killed one woman, and give multiple children hepatitis.
The DOJ alleges in a federal complaint filed on Wednesday that the water company did not test processed tap water before it was bottled in Nevada and Arizona plants.
That is widely believed to have led to potentially leading to ‘impure and unsafe water’ hitting store shelves and allegedly caused serious health issues among people who drank it.
FDA investigators said they observed Real Water use untested and recycled detergent and sanitizer to clean reusable 5-gallon containers
Real Water president Brent Jones, (pictured) a Scientologist and former Nevada legislator, agreed to recall and destroy all Real Water products
The lawsuit also claims the company failed to develop a written food safety plan and did not adequately clean and sanitize containers, utensils, pipes and equipment.
Additionally, Food and Drug Administration investigators found that Real Water failed to sample and test clean solutions or even list all ingredients on bottles, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
FDA investigators said they observed the company use untested and recycled detergent and sanitizer to clean reusable 5-gallon containers.
The water was mixed with concentrate that never underwent a ‘lethal treatment,’ to sterilize it, which meant that ‘any biological contamination would be passed on to the consumer,’ the Review-Journal reported.
Jones consented to the court order on Wednesday to recall and destroy any Real Water products.
A plan for the recall is required three days after the court order and the recall must begin five days after that.
The products must be destroyed within 15 days of FDA approval, 8NewsNow reported.
Real Water sold alkaline water, which has a higher pH level than regular drinking water, through a home delivery service and in bottles sold in stores which cost around $1.89 for a single 1-liter bottle
Myles Hunwardsen (pictured) was diagnosed with acute liver failure in September 2019 and was airlifted to UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital for a transplant after drinking Real Water
Real Water has been hit with at least a dozen other suits after people have fallen ill from liver failure from the water marketed as ‘the healthiest drinking water available today.’
The most recent suit was filed last Wednesday, which claimed that a woman in her 60s died from liver failure in November 2020 after drinking Real Water, 8NewsNow.com reported.
The lawsuit also includes a 7-month-old boy who was sent to a Salt Lake City hospital and five adults who experienced liver failure.
Real Water sold alkaline water, which has a higher pH level than regular drinking water, through a home delivery service and in bottles sold in stores which cost around $1.89 for a single 1-liter bottle.
Court documents allege that the water company was associated with five cases of acute liver failure in children and at least 15 cases of acute non-viral hepatitis, the Southern Nevada Health District confirmed.
In March, Jones issued an apology to customers after the FDA launched an investigation into the water company following reports of people falling ill.
‘First, we’d like to express our deepest sympathy and concern over the events that led to the inquiry,’ the water company president said in a video apology.
‘We started Real Water with the intention to provide a healthy product that benefits and elevates people’s lifestyles. We are deeply saddened to learn that anything otherwise could be the result.’
Five people filed a joint suit in Las Vegas earlier this year against Real Water maker Affinity Lifestyles.com, as well as major retailers Whole Foods Market, Costco Wholesale and Terrible Herbst where the product is sold.
The suit said that Myles Hunwardsen was diagnosed with acute liver failure in September 2019 and was airlifted to UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital for a transplant.
Hunwardsen bought Real Water from Whole Foods and Terrible Herbst in the months leading up to his hospitalization, the suit said.
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