What causes the contaminations that led Nestlé to filter its Perrier water?
The mineral water fraud scandal does not end with the publication, on Monday, May 19, of the report by the French Sénat inquiry commission tasked with shedding light on this scandal, which was revealed by Le Monde and Radio France in January 2024. The prefect of the southern Gard department issued an ultimatum to Nestlé: The world's leading bottled water company has been given until July 7 to remove the microfiltration systems used at its Perrier plant in the Gard commune of Vergèze and comply with regulations.
While the food giant has installed filters (activated carbon, UV, then microfiltration), this contradicts its claim that Perrier waters are still "pure at the source," as they require treatment to decontaminate and therefore should no longer be eligible for the coveted natural mineral water label. The aquifers from which the famous sparkling water is drawn are contaminated by various pollutants and not just "sporadically," as Nestlé executives claimed before the inquiry commission.
The contaminations can be chemical in nature: pesticides and nitrates linked to agricultural activities, notably the Costières de Nîmes vineyards; and forever chemicals (PFAS), with undetermined origins. However, it is the increasing number of incidents of contamination by fecal bacteria that pose the greatest threat to Perrier. They forced Nestlé to destroy 3 million bottles in April 2024 and block several hundred thousand a year later.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local France
3 hours ago
- Local France
French culture minister accepted money from energy group, report finds
Dati, an ally of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, denied any wrongdoing over the fresh allegations by renowned French investigative television show "Complement d'Enquete" and the Nouvel Observateur magazine. She was accused by both outlets of accepting €299,000 from GDF Suez in two payments that transited a now defunct law firm, STC Partners, which coincided with her taking pro-gas positions in public and in parliament. The two payments were marked as "Dati fees GDF Suez", the outlets reported. "Ms Dati has already explained herself and has never been a lawyer for GDF Suez," her personal lawyers, Olivier Baratelli and Olivier Pardo told AFP. Dati, a former magistrate-turned-lawyer, held a seat in the European parliament from 2009-2019 on behalf of France's main rightwing party and has been dogged for years by allegations of influence-peddling. READ MORE: France's controversial culture minister to run for Paris mayor Accusations that she was lobbying on behalf of GDF Suez first emerged in French media reports in 2013 and the 59-year-old former justice minister was questioned by the European parliament's ethics committee. In 2021, Dati was charged with "passive corruption" over her dealings with disgraced former Renault chief Carlos Ghosn, also while she was a member of the European parliament. Advertisement She is accused of accepting €900,000 in lawyer's fees from 2010-2012 from a Netherlands-based subsidiary of Renault-Nissan. Dati, a daughter of working-class North African immigrants, also denies wrongdoing in that case. She was brought back into government by President Emmanuel Macron in January 2024 in a reshuffle that was seen as tilting the formerly centrist cabinet further to the right.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Louis Vuitton fights Portuguese liqueur firm over 'same logo' use
In a true David versus Goliath struggle in the business world, the French conglomerate Louis Vuitton has launched an intellectual property lawsuit against the Portuguese liqueur producer, Licores do Vale. The French firm says the Monção company's use of an LV (with an inverted V) on the labels of its bottles, and a graphic for its brand's communications, are too similar to the one used by the fashion house in its productions. The action was brought before Intellectual Property Court in order to challenge the registration of the Portuguese brand by the National Institute of Industrial Property. According to the lawsuit filed and quoted by Jornal de Notícias, Louis Vuitton accuses Licores do Vale of "parasitically exploiting the prestige of a third party's brand", and creating "unfair competition" with an "identical or similar" symbol. The French giant says that it is "an almost total reproduction" at "verbal, phonetic and conceptual" level and that it has registered products in the same category, thus reinforcing the alleged similarities. A post shared by Licores do Vale (@_licores_do_vale) Licores do Vale producer, André Ferreira told Jornal de Notícias, that he developed the logo together with his girlfriend in order to promote the product at small agricultural fairs in the region. "The L is for liqueurs and the V is for valley, it was turned upside down to symbolise the mountains surrounding the parish [of Longos Vales] and the little leaves represent nature," he said. Ferreira, a metrology technician, who is trying to take his first steps in the world of artisanal production, says he was "surprised" by the measure, emphasising that the products are not on sale for now. "This is a hobby. We've only just begun and started straight away with this entry. The Louis Vuitton logo and the Licores do Vale logo have nothing to do with each other." Ferreira applied to register the trade mark in August 2024 and it was granted in January 2025. At the time, Louis Vuitton "prioritised international trademark registrations", with no consequences for the small Portuguese producer, who saw his application accepted. Even so, and despite the registration having been approved, the legal appeal now lodged by Louis Vuitton puts that registration on hold, leaving "Licores do Vale" in limbo. On social media, particularly Instagram, many users have shown their support for the small Portuguese producer, encouraging him to continue his business and even to take advantage of the media coverage generated by the case. On Instagram, where liqueurs of different flavours are discussed, the small business has just over 1,000 followers. Louis Vuitton, a French brand with 170 years of history, has more than 55 million followers on Instagram alone. Where is Marty McFly's missing guitar? If you're a fan of the Back To The Future films, you'll know exactly what that question's about. In the first Back to the Future film, Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, grabbed a cherry red ES-345 Gibson guitar and rocked out at a 1950s high school dance. He played 'Johnny B Goode' to a bemused crowd of teens in one of the film's most memorable scenes. The Gibson has been lost in the years since the time travel comedy was released in 1985 and now, four decades later, the guitar brand has teamed up with the stars of the film to begin a search for the iconic instrument. In a video by Gibson, with the movie's theme song playing in the background, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Harry Waters Jr. make a cinematic plea. Lloyd, who played the beloved Doc Brown, says in the video that the guitar has been 'lost to the future.' 'It's somewhere lost in the space-time continuum,' says Fox. 'Or it's in some Teamster's garage.' 'No one's seen that guitar since 1985, and we need to find it' Waters adds. 'Ask your friends, ask your relatives, ask your bandmates'. There's also a surprise appearance by Huey Lewis, whose band Huey Lewis and the News performed the soundtrack's headliner song, 'The Power of Love'. They all urge those with information on the guitar's whereabouts to submit tips via phone or to visit their website. The Back To The Future trilogy was released between 1985 and 1990. It spawned a video game, stage musical, as well as a cartoon series. It is also credited with being the main inspiration for the popular animation show Rick And Morty. However, the creative team have sworn that there will never be a fourth movie – with writer Bob Gale, speaking in the press room at The Saturn Awards earlier this year, saying: 'People always say, 'When are you going to do Back to the Future 4?'' He shared his answer to the question: 'We say, 'Fuck you'!' Quite right. Great Scott! Let's get finding that guitar.
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Prosecutors seek up to four months sentences in Aya Nakamura racist abuse trial
Thirteen people went on trial in France on Wednesday over a "racist" insult targeting Franco-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, who faced criticism from the far right and harassment over her performance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The defendants, linked to extreme-right group Les Natifs (the Natives), are on trial for a stunt in March 2024 -- after reports the superstar singer would perform at the Olympics -- when they unveiled a banner reading: "No way, Aya, this is Paris, not the Bamako market". It was a reference to Mali's capital, where the 30-year-old singer was born, and her hit song "Djadja". Nakamura's performance at the July 2024 opening ceremony sparked a political firestorm among far-right politicians and conservatives, a reaction French President Emmanuel Macron at the time described as "racist" and "shocking". Les Natifs espouses the far-right, white-nationalist "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, according to which white Europeans are being deliberately supplanted by non-white immigrants. The 13 defendants, aged between 20 and 31, face charges of publicly inciting hatred or violence -- or complicity in such incitement -- on the grounds of ethnicity, nationality, race or religion. Only three appeared in court, while the remaining 10 were represented by their lawyers. Nakamura was not present at the hearing. The defendants, including the spokesman for Les Natifs, Stanislas T., refused to answer questions, reading a statement to justify their actions. "What is at stake today is the issue of freedom of expression and the independence of the judicial system," said the 24-year-old spokesman, denying the group had insulted Nakamura or incited hatred. According to the activist, the aim was to denounce "a political choice that deliberately sought to promote the dissolution of our ancestral culture". Their lawyers, Mathieu Sassi and Pierre-Vincent Lambert, requested the acquittal of their clients, saying Nakamura had been targeted because of her "vulgarity". Prosecutors requested sentences of up to four months of prison. Nakamura responded to the group's stunt on social media at the time, writing: "You can be racist, but you're not deaf... and that's what really bothers you! I'm suddenly the number one topic of debate -- but what do I really owe you? Nothing." 'Shock public opinion' Nakamura is the world's most listened-to Francophone singer, and her performance on one of Paris's fabled bridges, the Pont des Arts, was among the most-watched moments of the opening ceremony. But when reports began circulating in early 2024 that the Mali- born, Paris-raised superstar was going to perform, far-right politicians and groups vehemently criticised the decision. An appearance by Nakamura, who mixes French with Arabic and Malian slang, would "humiliate" the country, far-right leader Marine Le Pen suggested, taking aim at her supposed "vulgarity" and "the fact that she doesn't sing in French". In March 2024, a dozen members of Les Natifs unfurled the banner targeting Nakamura along the River Seine. They posted a picture of the stunt on social media, and far-right outlets amplified the message. Les Natifs, which has 10,000 followers on Instagram and 19,000 on X, has staged other provocative stunts. In March, the group covered portraits of veiled women on display in a church in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis with black sheets. Two people including Stanislas T. were due to appear in court in connection with that case on Thursday. In February, the activists plastered an Air Algerie office in Paris with posters encouraging people with Algerian roots to "re-migrate". The goal for groups like Les Natifs is to "provoke massive reactions and shock public opinion so we have no choice but to talk about them", said Marion Jacquet-Vaillant, an expert on far-right movements in France. Capucine C., 22, who until March 2025 was a "parliamentary assistant" to three far-right National Rally MPs, was among the accused appearing in court. Nakamura's complaint is not the only one stemming from the opening ceremony to head to trial. A French court in May found seven people guilty of bullying Thomas Jolly, the ceremony's artistic director, who is openly gay. Five people are to stand trial in September over similar complaints from Barbara Butch, a French DJ and lesbian activist who starred in a controversial scene during the ceremony.
