NEW ZEALAND: Sewage water contaminates Coca-Cola Amatil in NZ

Coca-Cola Amatil has found itself in some pretty murky water this week after it was found to be using contaminated supplies.It has been using water that has failed 18 Department of Health checks in the last year but it wasn't until last week that the water finally failed its own tests. The New Zealand bottler holds the license to make Coca-Cola in Australasia and also makes other soft drinks.It has been using water from the town of Waiuku since January but only its Deep Spring flavoured drinks. Because of the testing failure last week Amatil has ditched this source of water.But questions remain over why it took Coca-Cola Amatil so long to realise that they were using what experts have called the "worst" water source in Auckland. Waiuku's water has a quality rating of E when nearly all other water supplies in the city are rated A or A1.The Waiuku water has failed DoH 18 tests for faecal bacteria in the last year but tests conducted at the company's Mt. Wellington factory showed there was no problem until last week.Auckland Healthcare medical officer Dr. Donald Campbell said: "An E rating means there is significant [health] risk."Coca-Cola Amatil have swung into action to limit any bad publicity and ditched the water source. "While all water we use is subject to a rigorous process, which eliminates any impurities, we have decided to stop using this water in the Deep Spring product as a precautionary measure."We have now found an alternative source and would like to reassure consumers that any Deep Spring products are, as always, totally safe to drink," said company spokesman Ian Furlong.David Robertson