In the latest issue of the Hong Kong Consumer Council’s “Choice” magazine, 30 brands of bottled water were tested. The tests on disinfectant residues and by-products revealed that the bromate content in Ganten/Baisuishan and Nongfu Spring reached the EU limit. The Consumer Council indicated that consuming large amounts of bromate can cause nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, and in severe cases, may affect the kidneys and nervous system.
On the 16th, China’s mineral water brand Ganten issued a statement responding that the quality of Ganten products meets the standards of China, the EU, and the World Health Organization (WHO), and criticized some Hong Kong media reports as grossly inaccurate.
Ganten/Baisuishan’s statement noted that some Hong Kong media reported on internet platforms that “bottled water from the mainland brands Nongfu Spring and Ganten contained bromate levels reaching the EU limit, which may cause nausea and abdominal pain.” Some reports misinterpreted the test results, misleading consumers and seriously damaging the company’s legitimate rights and interests.
The statement claimed that the quality of Ganten products meets the standards of China, the EU, and the WHO. China’s national standard for “Natural Mineral Drinking Water” (GB8537-2018), and the WHO’s “Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality” both stipulate that the bromate concentration in natural mineral water should be ≤0.01 mg/L. The EU directive stipulates that the bromate concentration in natural mineral water should be ≤0.003 mg/L. According to the results of the Hong Kong Consumer Council’s sampling, the bromate content in “Ganten” products was detected at 0.003 mg/L, which is far below the standards of China and the WHO and meets the EU standards.
The statement also mentioned that some Hong Kong media reports were grossly inaccurate. According to the test results from the Hong Kong Consumer Council, the chemical safety and microbiological test results of all samples in this sampling were satisfactory, and the overall safety level of the samples was satisfactory.
The statement pointed out that after the test results were reported by some Hong Kong media, misleading descriptions such as “bromate reached the EU limit (0.003 mg/L), which may cause nausea and abdominal pain” appeared, which do not correspond to the facts and the reports are grossly inaccurate.
The statement concluded by stating that the company is committed to maintaining a high level of product quality awareness, strengthening communication with consumers, media, and regulatory agencies, and ensuring transparency and accuracy of information.