Latest news with #NestléWaters
National Post
5 days ago
- National Post
Why the French are outraged that Perrier filtered its water: ‘This really is our Water-gate'
An iconic French brand dating back more than 160 years, Perrier's reputation has been rocked by a scandal. Last year, a joint investigation by Le Monde and Radio France revealed that at least a third of the country's mineral water brands — including Perrier, Contrex, Vittel and Hépar, owned by Nestlé Waters — had been illegally treated. Read More
LeMonde
04-07-2025
- Business
- LeMonde
Mineral water scandal: Nestlé says it removed illegal filters, but must still prove Perrier is pure
On May 7, the prefect of the southern French Gard department, Jérôme Bonet, issued a formal notice to Nestlé over the natural mineral water fraud scandal, ordering the company to stop using "filters with a diameter of 0.2 micron" at its Perrier plant in Vergèze, arguing that they were "in contradiction with regulations." He gave the global bottled water leader two months to remove them and comply with the law. 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.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nestlé hit with shocking accusations of misleading its customers: 'It doesn't stand up to the reality'
Nestlé is in hot water after French regulators and consumer watchdogs accused the brand of misleading consumers by referring to its Perrier products as "natural mineral water." As detailed by The New York Times, the European Union has strict rules surrounding the designation of water as "natural." Nestlé Waters, Perrier's parent company, allegedly failed to adhere to those regulations because it uses filters and ultraviolet sterilizers to treat its water. A French Senate investigation revealed that Nestlé hid its treatment of Perrier and other bottled water with the assistance of the government, with members of President Emmanuel Macron's office aware that "that Nestlé had been cheating for years," according to the report. "This scandal is a sort of textbook case of regulatory capture and state-industry collusion," said Sen. Alexandre Ouizille, who headed the six-month investigation. (Macron's office did not respond to the Times but has previously denied allegations of collusion.) Nestlé has a market value of over $250 billion. Ouizille told the Times that the brand's dishonest labeling practices brought in at least €3 billion ($3.5 billion) at the expense of consumers who trusted the multinational brand to live up to its claims. However, Nestlé chief executive Laurent Freixe suggested earlier this year that consumer expectations surrounding "natural" products were unrealistic, with environmental contamination making it increasingly difficult to source safe, clean water without human intervention. "This romantic idea that you can take pure water from the source, bottle it without any intervention and ensure food safety is just that: romantic," he told Swiss media, per the Times. "It doesn't stand up to the reality of human activity." Climate scientist Peter Gleick, who co-founded the Pacific Institute — a California-based research firm focused on ensuring water security, which is endangered by the effects of rising global temperatures — agreed with this assessment in a statement to the Times. "This is part of a longer trend of growing threats to groundwater," Gleick said. However, he also suggested Nestlé's marketing tactics could harm the company's bottom line. "They want to sell spring water because it carries a premium in the public's eye," he said. "Now if they're just reprocessing it the way they process tap water, it's harder and harder for them to claim that. And as people learn that, they'll lose money." Do you think we should be trying to pull pollution out of the atmosphere? Absolutely I need to know more In some situations No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Nestlé affirmed the quality of its water and didn't admit to misconduct. Yet it acknowledged "common challenges" in the bottled water industry and suggested that regulations should be more consistent and clear. "With food safety as a primary goal, the company reiterates that all its natural mineral water products on the market have always been and remain safe to drink, and their unique minerality is as shown on the label," the company said, per the Times. On a personal level, you can contribute to a cleaner future by avoiding single-use plastic products. Usually derived from polluting dirty fuels, plastics can take 1,000 years or longer to break down, shedding microplastics and toxic chemicals into the environment in the process. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Bloomberg
04-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Nestlé Adapts Perrier Microfiltration to Fit French Regulations
Nestlé SA 's filtering of its Perrier natural mineral water is now in compliance with French regulations after it was fined for illegal treatments last year. Nestlé Waters France has adapted the micro filters for Perrier water, the Swiss company said in a statement Thursday. It said the changes made in line with discussions with French authorities have no impact on the food safety or the mineral composition of the water that's sold globally in green, pear-shaped bottles.
LeMonde
25-06-2025
- Business
- LeMonde
Nestlé fined €533,000 in Switzerland for using banned filters in mineral water
Nestlé Waters has been fined €533,000 for having used activated carbon filters on its Henniez bottled mineral water, Swiss public prosecutors announced on Wednesday, June 25. The attorney general of western Switzerland's Vaud canton – where Nestlé has its headquarters, and where Henniez water is sourced – accused the global food giant's bottled water division of "misleading consumers" by having "natural mineral water" on the label between 2008 and 2022. "In doing so, the attorney general believes that the company obtained economic advantages by not complying with its legal labelling obligations," a statement said, announcing the fine. In France, Nestlé's bottled waters – which include the iconic Perrier brand – have been at the centre of a scandal since early 2024 regarding the use of micro-filtration processes. Banned for mineral waters, these processes were used by several producers, including Nestlé, as revealed by Le Monde and Radio France. Shortly afterwards, Swiss newspaper Le Temps revealed that the Nestlé Waters had also used carbon filters in the Henniez brand's factory in Switzerland. The attorney general's office said that during a 2020 inspection, it was discovered that the Henniez plant was using an activated carbon filtration process. The company was given until the end of 2022 to remove the carbon filter system. A follow-up inspection in March 2023 confirmed that the filter had indeed been decommissioned. However, the consumer office filed a complaint with the cantonal public prosecutors, accusing Nestlé Waters of concealing its use of the carbon filter. In 2024, Nestlé water brands generated sales of €3.4 billion.
