Nestlé admits to treating bottled mineral water in breach of French regulations

The world's largest food and drinks manufacturer, Nestlé, has admitted to treating bottled water products for contaminants in contravention of French legislation.

Nestle's headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland. ASSOCIATED PRESS - Laurent Gillieron

The world's top bottled water seller Nestlé Waters has admitted to using illegal "food safety" treatments on its products that infringe French law.

Confirming an initial report from business daily Les Echos, Nestlé said it had passed some waters, such as Perrier and Vittel, through ultraviolet light and active carbon filters "to guarantee food safety".

The food giant said it "lost track of the importance of conforming to regulations" but stressed that all the brands concerned now fulfil French requirements.

The group also reported it alerted the French authorities of the process in 2021.

Perrier, Vittel, Contrex : Nestlé fait son mea culpa https://t.co/4wcN3gGI6x

— Les Echos (@LesEchos) January 29, 2024

Ban on disinfectant treatments

However, Nestlé did not immediately make clear when it stopped treating water sold under the Perrier, Vittel, Hepar and Contrex brands.

French law bans any disinfectant treatment of mineral waters, which are supposed to be safe to drink when they emerge from their sources.

Tap water, by contrast, is disinfected before being classed as drinkable.

• Nestle faces mineral water problems in drought-hit France

Nestlé maintains there had been "changes in the environment around its sources, which can sometimes make it difficult to maintain stability of vital characteristics" in the water – namely the absence of pollution and mineral composition.

Since stopping the treatments, Nestlé has suspended production at some wells in the Vosges department of eastern France due to their "sensitivity to climate hazards", forcing it to slash production of Hepar and Contrex water brands.

According to a joint investigation by the newspaper Le Monde and the Investigation Unit of Radio France, the scandal dates back to 2020 when an employee of the Sources Alma factory, reported the use of illegal water treatments.

An investigation by the national fraud agency (DGCCRF) discovered that Nestlé Waters was one of the companies using such practices.

Deliberately concealed practices

The French government was informed at the time but did not act on the information until 2021.

It asked the national regional health agency (ARS) to organise some 32 inspections and found that a third of bottled water brands did not comply with regulations.

Inspectors said in their report in July 2022 that the level of non-compliance "could in reality be much higher", taking into account "the difficulties for the control services to identify deliberately concealed practices".

It appears that the legal investigations are far from over.

Éric Neveu, prosecutor of Cusset (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) says he opened a preliminary investigation on 7 July, 2023 and that a "judicial investigation could be opened for several offenses relating to acts of deception".