Many restaurants in the Maldives had switched to Handy’s filtered water served in glass bottles after moving away from plastic-bottled water, as part of efforts to reduce plastic use.
However, concerns have now been raised over the safety of these products. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) said laboratory tests conducted on glass bottles produced by the Handy Water bottling plant found contamination with bacteria that should not be present in bottled drinking water.
According to MFDA, the tests covered 330ml, 500ml, and 1-liter glass bottles. The authority stated that the results showed the products do not meet the standards set by the World Health Organization for safe drinking water.
Following these findings, MFDA has instructed consumers and food service providers in the Maldives not to use Handy Water glass bottles until further notice. The authority said the decision was taken to protect public health and prevent potential risks arising from the consumption of contaminated drinking water.
