A bottle of Tannourine brand water. (Credit: The brand's Facebook page)
BEIRUT — The Health Ministry’s decision to withdraw Tannourine bottled water from the market over bacterial contamination sparked a wave of backlash in Lebanon on Monday, with public figures accusing the ministry of “corruption” and denouncing what they called a “suspicious campaign” against the brand.
In a social media post Monday night, journalist Tony Abi Najem denounced what he called a "suspicious" campaign.
"Where did the [non-compliant] samples supposedly collected and analyzed by the Health Ministry come from? Is it true that the analyses of all the samples collected last Friday by Health Ministry representatives in the laboratory and from bottles were 100 percent compliant [with standards]? Most importantly, why did the Health Ministry not communicate anything to Tannourine, which learned everything via social media?" the journalist stated.
Abi Najem also questioned why Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine, whom she described as "Hezbollah's health minister," published the decision regarding Tannourine while he was out of Lebanon.
The decision was, in fact, signed by Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani, acting as interim health minister during Nasereddine’s official visit abroad.
"Why did the agriculture minister agree to sign such a decision? Are there particular interests behind all this?" the journalist further questioned. "Corruption in the Health Ministry needs to be investigated, and the results could be catastrophic," he added.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said it is "seriously following the process of laboratory analysis for other drinking water samples from Tannourine and awaiting final results in order to draw the necessary conclusions."
It also clarified that the decision was made on an "interim basis" because Nasreddine is currently traveling.
For his part, influencer Bechara Alam said on Instagram that these were "questionable samples" the Health Ministry relied on. "Mr. Minister, you need to take your samples at the source, not from a bottle found anywhere. Tannourine will come back even stronger," he said.
On X, one user even accused "a well-known political group that probably wants to launch its own bottled water brand to sell outside of the regions it controls."
A microbiological test document for Tannourine water, circulating online and dated Oct. 7, 2025, showed that the samples taken that day met the required standards.
Founded in 1978, Tannourine is one of Lebanon’s best-known mineral water brands.
According to its website, its bottles are filled in the mountainous Tannourine region, about 1,500 meters above sea level.
New samples examined
In a statement Tuesday, the Health Ministry said it was waiting for the results of tests on other samples from the brand "in order to draw the necessary conclusions."
The previous day, it had explained that its epidemiological surveillance team had tested samples taken on Oct. 6 from the Lebanese market, which were found to be "non-compliant with Lebanese standards due to contamination with the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa."
This bacterium can cause various infections — pulmonary, urinary, skin, eye or blood — particularly in immunocompromised patients.
The Ministry then ordered the company to halt bottling water "until the source of the contamination is identified and resolved." It required the "withdrawal from the market of all products bottled before the date of publication of this decision, within three business days," or risk legal action.
Amid the uproar, Tannourine announced it would hold a press conference on Tuesday.
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