Hello and welcome to the details of French mineral water companies face new investigations and now with the details
Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Sources reveal a French magistrate has opened a fraud inquiry into mineral water giants Nestlé and Sources Alma over suspicions of illegal processing of water. – Pic by AFP
PARIS, Feb 14 – A French magistrate has opened a fraud inquiry into mineral water giants Nestlé and Sources Alma over suspicions of illegal processing of water, a source close to the investigation said yesterday.
The source said the magistrate had gone against the recommendation of prosecutors in launching the new investigation into the companies.
The inquiry follows formal complaints made by the Foodwatch watchdog against Nestlé Waters – whose brands include Perrier, Contrex and Vittel – and Sources Alma, France’s biggest mineral water producer. Foodwatch has led mounting pressure on the firms in recent years over their production methods.
In 2024, Nestlé Waters admitted using banned filters and ultra-violet treatment on mineral waters, which must be processed naturally by law.
Foodwatch accuses the companies of misleading consumers over the water in the latest complaint taken up by the magistrate.
Another consumer group, CLCV, has also registered complaints which are being studied by magistrates.
Foodwatch director general Karine Jacquemart said she hoped the investigations would “smash the climate of impunity” surrounding the companies and “shed all light on responsibility of Nestlé Waters and Sources Alma as well as the role of public authorities and particularly the government.”
French media have already reported that the prime minister’s office and president’s office had in 2023 recommended letting Nestlé carry on with the microfiltering of water despite warnings from the government health service.
The director general of health, Jérôme Salomon, had called for the suspension of Nestlé’s operations permit at its sites in the Vosges region of eastern France and production of Perrier at Vergèze.
President Emmanuel Macron has denied giving in to lobbying by the Swiss food giant.
Nestlé Waters paid a two-million-euro ($2.2-million) fine in September 2024 to avoid legal action over the use of illegal water sources and filtering, but says the filters it uses now are allowed by the government and that its water is “pure.”
Sources Alma had also previously been under investigation by prosecutors.
The government’s role in the water scandals has been under investigation by the French senate since November. The senate commission has already criticised the government.
Alexandre Ouizille, the head of the commission, welcomed the criminal investigations. “Each hearing we hold confirms to us the failure of ministries and administrative authorities,” he said. – AFP
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