French authorities order Nestlé to remove its filtration system

In early 2024, the Nestlé group publicly acknowledged that it had used banned treatments (ultraviolet and activated carbon) in the past, then replaced them with a "0.2 micron cartridge" microfiltration system. Keystone-SDA

On Wednesday, the Gard prefecture in the south of France served a formal notice to Nestlé Waters, a subsidiary of the Swiss food giant, to remove its microfiltration system from its Perrier mineral water at Vergèze within two months. Nestlé Waters says it will comply.

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At the same time, the Gard prefecture said it was continuing to “examine the application to renew the authorisation” granted to Nestlé to operate its Vergèze boreholes “for the production of Perrier natural mineral water”, stressing that “the prefect’s decision must be made before August 7”.

Natural mineral waters are governed by a 2009 European Union directive, which defines them in terms of their mineral content and “original purity”, and also states that they may not be disinfected or treated in any way that could alter their “microbial content”.

Treatments may be authorised by prefectoral decree in France either to remove “unstable elements” (such as iron, manganese, arsenic and sulphur) especially through filtration or to retain “undesirable constituents”.

In early 2024, the Nestlé group publicly acknowledged that it had used banned treatments (ultraviolet and activated carbon) in the past, then replaced them with a “0.2 micron cartridge” microfiltration system, which it said was necessary to “ensure the food safety” of its products.

Negative opinion on drilling

It is this microfiltration system that Nestlé will have to remove from its Vergèze site, in response to a formal notice from the authorities.

+ Nestlé defends its mineral water after scandal

As regards the possibility of Nestlé continuing to operate the five boreholes at Vergèze from which it obtains its Perrier natural mineral water, hydrogeologists called in by the Gard prefecture have already issued a negative opinion, Nestlé CEO Laurent Freixe told a Senate committee on April 9.

Faced with the difficulty of producing water at Vergèze that meets the standards required for natural mineral waters, the Nestlé group had already reallocated two boreholes at the site, in 2022, to produce its new “Maison Perrier” brand, a drink sold without the “natural mineral water” label.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the consumer organisation Foodwatch said that “this decision is a step in the right direction”, and hoped that the judicial investigation launched at the same time as these requests for administrative authorisations would “shed full light on the actions of the multinational and its managers”.

The company will comply

Nestlé Waters France has announced its willingness to comply with a request from the Gard prefect, who gave the company formal notice on Wednesday to withdraw its microfiltration system.

A technical solution will be sought for the Vergèze site which, “if accepted, could enable the prefect to consider authorising the continued use of Source Perrier natural mineral water in Vergèze”, the company said in a statement.

Muriel Lienau, Chairman of Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages, said: “We will do our utmost to comply with the authorities’ requests, and hope to find solutions tailored to the specific characteristics of each of our sites.” Not only Perrier, but also Contrex and Hépar in the Vosges are subject to a formal notice issued by the prefecture.

“Nestlé Waters is determined to find solutions following the request by the prefects of the Gard and Vosges regions to withdraw the 0.2 micron microfiltration process within two months”, the press release said.

According to the company, a technical solution has already been “identified for the Vosges site (Contrex and Hépar brands; Vittel is not affected by this type of microfiltration) and must be validated by the authorities”.

Translated from French with DeepL/gw

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