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Nestlé Waters authorised to explore 5 boreholes in the Vosges

Nestlé Waters authorised to explore 5 boreholes in the Vosges
Nestlé Waters authorised to explore 5 boreholes in the Vosges Keystone-SDA

The Vosges prefecture announced on Thursday it has issued an order authorising Nestlé Waters to carry out five new exploratory boreholes at Vittel and They-sous-Monfort in eastern France. The aim is to search for Hépar natural mineral water.

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A spokesperson for the Swiss food giant told Agence France-Presse that “exploration is an integral part of being an ore carrier”.

The aim of this first phase is to analyse the geology of the soil and understand the terrain. These studies “take time”, a spokesperson for the Swiss food giant told Agence France-Presse

Nestlé Waters had to suspend two of the six boreholes used to produce Hépar water in 2023 due to the vagaries of the weather.

The decree, consulted by AFP, stipulates that “the installation must be commissioned, the works constructed, the work carried out and the activity (…) exercised within a period of 3 years”.

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Nestlé Waters has been facing setbacks since the beginning of 2024, when press reports revealed the use in previous years of banned treatments (ultraviolet, activated carbon) at Nestlé Waters bottling plants to, a subsidiary of the Swiss group, which includes the Vittel, Perrier, Hépar and Contrex brands.

Natural mineral water cannot be disinfected or treated in any way that would alter its characteristics.

In mid-May, a report by a Senate committee of enquiry found that these treatments had been “concealed by the State”.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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