LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The federal government has secured a permanent injunction against the manufacture and distribution of Real Water, an alkaline water product that is at the center of several lawsuits and warnings from the FDA and CDC.
Attorneys for the Consumer Protection Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice filed the request Wednesday in District Court in Nevada. Real Water President and Director Brent A. Jones consented to the order on Wednesday.
All Real Water products will be recalled under the terms of the agreement Jones signed. A plan for the recall is required within three days of the court order, and the recall must begin five days after that.
Further, the agreement orders the destruction of all Real Water products. The products will be destroyed within 15 days of FDA approval.
The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) on Thursday confirmed that the death of a woman in her 60s has been linked to Real Water. The I-Team first reported the news last week.
Real Water sold alkaline water, which has a lesser acidity, through a home delivery service and in bottles sold in stores.
According to court documents, “The Defendants’ bottled drinking water has been associated with five cases of acute liver failure in children.”
At least 15 cases of acute non-viral hepatitis are linked to Real Water, according to SNHD. Last month, the health district said it was investigating 50 additional reports. Five cases involved children.
The Department of Justice alleges failures to adhere to a stack of regulations that govern the production, bottling, labeling and shipping of food and beverages. Products must be safe for consumers, and the government charges that Real Water failed to ensure the safety of its product through adequate testing.
Most of the violations are alleged under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
The products are made and distributed at plants in Henderson and Mesa, Arizona.
The request for injunction was submitted by Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada Christopher Chiou.
