Mineral water scandal: Nestlé says it removed illegal filters, but must still prove Perrier is pure
On Thursday, July 3, three days ahead of Bonet's deadline, Nestlé announced it had "adapted" its microfiltration system "at the prefect's request" and installed "a new 0.45-micron microfiltration system [...] in compliance with discussions with the health authorities." The Swiss food industry group added that "15 days after the Vosges site [where the Vittel, Hépar, and Contrex mineral water brands are bottled], this new system is now operational at the Vergèze site."
According to information Le Monde was able to obtain, the "discussions with the health authorities" were limited to a phone call from Nestlé Waters president Muriel Lienau to Bonet, on Thursday afternoon. By the end of the day, the prefect had still not received any documentation from the group confirming that a new filtration system had been set up. The local regional health agency (ARS), responsible for monitoring the cleanliness of bottled water, also had not received any documentation by Thursday evening. The prefecture said it would ask the ARS to verify that the illegal filters had actually been removed and replaced with a 0.45-micron microfiltration system.
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