A new French senate inquiry commission report into Nestlé bottled water says that “natural mineral water” sold at as much as 400 times the price of tap water had been treated by the company to avoid bacterial or chemical contamination, a practice prohibited under French and European regulations designed to protect the “natural mineral” and “spring water” designations.
Nestlé, one of two multinational companies that dominate the sector, had formed a plan in 2021 to replace the activated carbon filter and UV treatments with microfiltering for products such as Perrier, Contrex, Vittel and Hépar, the May report from the Bottled Water Inquiry Commission stated.
During a consumer fraud investigation in France, Nestlé said its treatments were “protective barriers” and did not affect the safety or the composition of the water and that it would replace the treatments with filtering up to 0.2 microns, a plan that has questionable legality, the commission report states.
The commission report suggests that the French government lacked transparency and stalled efforts to create repercussions for the Swiss company utilizing the banned water treatments. It notes that control over natural mineral water involves administrations of the ministry of health, consumer affairs, agriculture, and ecological transition.
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“No political or administrative authority has shown any willingness to stop the marketing of products that do not comply with their labeling,” the commission report states.
While Nestlé agreed to pay a €2 million fine to avoid legal action, the commission report suggests that the alleged marketing fraud is estimated at more than €3 billion.
Nestlé has yet to publicly respond to the commission report but recently stated that it is “determined to seek solutions” that would allow France’s southern Gard region to renew authorization to use the “natural mineral water” description.
In Canada, a former Nestlé Waters North America bottling plant in Puslinch, Ontario, is set to close this year. It operated under the name BlueTriton Brands, before merging with Primo Water in November 2024.
