FRANCE – Nestle Waters, the bottled water subsidiary of Nestle, has acknowledged violating regulations in France related to the treatment of bottled mineral water to prevent contamination.
The company revealed it used microfiltration at its Waters sites at a finer level than was previously recognized by the French authorities and employed activated carbon filters and ultraviolet systems not in line with French natural mineral water regulations.
In a statement, Nestle admitted to losing track of the importance of conforming to regulations but emphasized that all the brands in question now meet French requirements.
The admission comes after Nestle reportedly used disinfectants to address sporadic bacterial or chemical contamination, which violates French law prohibiting the disinfectant treatment of mineral waters. Mineral waters are expected to be safe to drink directly from their sources without any treatment.
Nestle attributed the breach to changes in the environment around its water sources, making it challenging to maintain stability in the water’s vital characteristics, such as the absence of pollution and mineral composition.
The company claimed to have proactively reported the issue to French authorities in 2021, presenting multiple options for compliance.
“The French authorities have validated our use of this finer microfilter as consistent with the applicable regulatory framework,” Nestle said. “At the same time, and under the control of the French authorities, we removed the treatments that were not permitted by France.”
As a result of the breach, Nestle suspended production at some wells in the Vosges department of eastern France, citing their sensitivity to climate hazards.
This led to a reduction in production for Hepar and Contrex water brands. Nestle has added two wells to the production of a new range of non-mineral water beverages, sold under the brand name Maison Perrier.
The controversy traces back to 2020 when an employee at the Sources Alma factory reported the use of illegal water treatments. A subsequent investigation by the national fraud agency (DGCCRF) confirmed that Nestle Waters was one of the companies employing such practices.
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