Handy Water fails WHO standards; MFDA warns public not to use contaminated glass bottles

Glass bottles of “Handy Water” commonly used in some restaurants in the Maldives have been found to be contaminated with germs, and the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has ordered that they not be used.

Many restaurants had switched to Handy’s filtered water in glass bottles after moving away from plastic‑bottled water.

In a statement on Tuesday, MFDA said laboratory tests on 330ml, 500ml, and 1‑liter glass bottles produced by the Handy Water bottling plant detected bacteria that should not be present in bottled drinking water. The authority said the products do not meet World Health Organization (WHO) standards for safe drinking water.

MFDA has advised consumers and food service providers not to use Handy Water glass bottles until further notice.