A set of 12 bottles of Tannourine. Photo taken from the Amazon website.
Three days after the still-controversial decision by authorities to call on the Tannourine mineral water company to withdraw its products from the market due to alleged bacterial contamination, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani said Thursday morning he had received new test results from the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI), under his ministry, which showed the samples were 'in compliance' with health standards.
Speaking on Voice of Lebanon radio, Hani specified that the nine samples analyzed had been taken randomly from the market. The tests that led to the authorities' initial decision had been challenged by the company.
'Exemplary image' of Tannourine
The minister also said he refused to let 'the entire Lebanese industry be discredited,' stressing that Tannourine is 'well known and enjoys an exemplary image,' and stating that 'what happened could even elicit a positive reaction and be a step forward, without harming the reputation of this historic company.'
Hani said that "the health minister was clear: once the results turn out negative, the initial decision will be lifted and Tannourine can resume its normal production." He added that "this case has taken on far more media coverage than it deserves' and that 'the issue is a technical one, not a media or political one."
"What happened was a mistake, and there needs to be an investigation to identify the source of the leak on social media even before the company was informed. This should put an end to the matter; it’s not the result of a conspiracy or an intent to harm anyone," added the minister, as several social media groups continued to call for his resignation.
'Preventive and short-term' measure
On Wednesday evening, Hani had already explained, during his appearance on the show Hiwar al-Marhala (Dialogue of the Moment), that the move in question was only 'a short-term preventive measure, consisting of suspending production for two weeks," and that it "should not have been made public, but kept to an exchange between the health ministry and company management."
He also said that as minister, "he did not initially have all the details and had relied on trust in the health minister." Hani had signed the decision to withdraw Tannourine products as acting health minister, as his colleague Rakan Nassereddine was abroad.
Hani added that the mission of epidemiological monitoring is to track any health developments, collect samples to check their safety, and that public hospital labs are able to test water quality.
The minister also said Nasreddine had taken a precautionary action by sending samples to certified labs and had not "washed his hands of the issue," contrary to claims. Nizar Hani also said, "not everything should turn into a sectarian issue or a public debate." The case had, in fact, taken a political turn, pitting the Lebanese Forces against Hezbollah, to which Nassereddine belongs.
Condemnations continue
In a statement carried by the official National News Agency (NNA), the bakeries and pastry shops union strongly condemned the "media scoops and social media campaigns targeting companies ... like Tannourine." "Only cooperation between ministries, municipalities, companies and bakeries can achieve integrated, standards-compliant food safety, not defamation or irresponsible media attacks," the union added.
It called on establishments to "adhere to sanitary standards and cooperate with regulatory authorities to ensure consumer safety," and urged the media and social networks to "act responsibly and avoid defamation." The union also called on the judiciary to prosecute anyone engaging in "blackmail" or "spreading false information," stating it "will no longer tolerate any attacks on the sector's reputation."
The mukhtars (village heads) of Tannourine also responded, voicing fears that the case could push the company to close, "causing a social disaster affecting its employees and their thousands of families," and harm other Lebanese industries that have "proven themselves abroad." They called on authorities to "take necessary steps to restore the truth and clarify the situation."
General Confederation of Lebanese Workers President Bechara Asmar also urged people not to spread "rumors and accusations" about food companies, to avoid harming products in the food industry "on both domestic and foreign markets" and the rights of their workers. The union leader called on supervisory institutions to "strengthen periodic checks and not announce test results before verifying their accuracy."
This affair has spilled over Lebanon's borders, with the Qatari health minister announcing Tuesday that he had "temporarily withdrawn from local markets, as a preventive measure, bottled water produced in Lebanon under the Tannourine brand after learning of the Lebanese health ministry's announcement of possible contamination by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium in samples."
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