Wegmans Has Recalled Some Bottled Water

In the haze and haste of summer, bottled water is a must-grab for long afternoons at the pool or a music festival. But if you aren't one to refill your Camelback and you're a regular Wegmans shopper at a New York State, Massachusetts, or Erie, Pennsylvania store, it might be best to return those 16.9 oz. plastic bottles. In fact, you have to return them: Wegmans just issued a recall of its You Feel Good About Spring Water because of a possible presence of E.coli.

The store will offer a full refund for the water, but there have been no reports of illnesses from the water. The grocery store says on its website that the recall "was issued out of an abundance of caution." The Wegmans site also states that the water is treated with "a continuous ozonation process," which is supposed to be a step toward killing off the bacteria.

Regardless, products that read "best by June 10" through "best by June 18" and are bottled by Niagara Bottling, LLC, Ontario, CA qualify for the recall.

The following products are on the list:

Wegmans FYFGA Spring Water, 16.9 oz UPC 7789018860

Wegmans FYFGA Spring Water, 16.9 oz, 12-pack UPC 7789010085

Wegmans FYFGA Spring Water, 16.9 oz, 24-pack UPC 7789028768

Wegmans FYFGA Spring Water, 16.9 oz, 35-pack UPC 7789029365

The store reminds patrons to look carefully at the size and code date of the bottled water; all those that are not one of the above codes is not affected by the recall and does not need to be returned to the store.

And Wegmans has every reason to take such serious precautions with their product. E.coli, or Escherichia coli, is no joke. Most strains of the bacteria are not harmless, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection. Most of the bacteria exists as part of the healthy human body.

But there are several strains that can truly make a person very sick, ranging from diahhera, urinary tract infections, repository illnesses and pneumonia. The CDC reports that some strains of the bacteria are used to mark contaminated water and finding traces of it doesn't necessarily mean that the water itself is contaminated. (Confusing stuff.)

The CDC notes the type of E.coli most commonly associated with food-borne illnesses is called shiga toxic-producing E.coli, or STEC. Because e.Coli comes from both human and animal waste, it can be washed into water during rainfalls, snow melts or other types of precipitation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. And while stores such as Wegmans treat the water before bottling it up and sending it out, even a hint a harmful e.Coli strain is enough for concern.

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