Giant Eagle bottled water recall: All you need to know in wake of East Palestine train derailment 

The Giant Eagle grocery store chain has announced that they will be removing all gallon-sized bottles of water produced by the company that sources it from a spring near the site of the East Palestine train derailment. The move comes out of an abundance of caution against the release of hazardous chemicals in the soil following the East Palestine Train Derailment.

On February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and caught fire, resulting in the release of toxic chemicals into the air and soil of the area. The incident, which took place in East Palestine, Ohio, has upended the communities living in the area as the chemicals pose several health risks to humans.

The discontinued bottles of water produced by Creekside Springs (Image via Giant Eagle)

Following the incident, fears of hazardous chemicals making their way into the water bodies cannot be overlooked. Hence, the Giant Eagle grocery store chain has decided to discontinue the sale of select bottled water produced by its major supplier, Creekside Springs, which has a facility in Salineville, Ohio, located approximately 25 miles southwest of East Palestine.

The grocery store chain announced the decision through a statement that said:

"As we continue to receive these assurances from our Salineville water vendor, we also recognize that regional and national health officials continue to send resources to East Palestine to learn as much as possible about the potential impact to the health of the community."

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Giant Eagle found that the water is sourced from a protected spring which is at a higher elevation

Creekside Springs is a bottled water company that produces different varieties of spring, distilled, and purified water. The company distributes bottled water to multiple wholesalers, supermarkets, and convenience stores, and the Giant Eagle grocery store chain is one of its largest customers. Creekside Springs' website states that the company has two facilities, one in Ambridge, PA, and the other in Salineville, OH.

As the Salineville, Ohio, facility is nearly 25 miles within the distance of the site of the accident, fears about the chemical spillage into the water bodies have been concerning both the supplier and the grocery chain. As a precaution, Giant Eagle has discontinued the sale of all water bottles that were produced in the Salineville, Ohio, facility.

The recall and/or discontinuation affects all gallon-size-or-greater Giant Eagle brand spring water products, as these were the only bottles that were sourced from the Salineville facility.

The discontinuation affects all gallon-size-or-greater spring water products sourced from the Salineville facility (Image via Giant Eagle)

The grocery store chain said that it was informed by representatives of the Salineville facility that the water used in the products is sourced from a protected spring located at a higher elevation than East Palestine, and is not in proximity to groundwater sources that could be directly impacted by the incident.

Giant Eagle has done some sampling and water tests of its own and has come to believe that the water does not show any signs of contamination, but the product won't be returning to its store shelves for now.

The grocery store chain has not said anything about what customers who may have already bought water bottles should do, although customers with doubts and queries about the next steps can get in touch with the grocery store chain to find out more. The grocery store chain can be contacted at 1-800-553-2324, Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm. The same contact details are mentioned on the label of the bottled water as well.