An investigation opened for deception against the Nestlé Waters group, accused of having used prohibited treatments on mineral waters

A preliminary investigation was opened by the Epinal public prosecutor’s office for deception against Nestlé Waters, accused of having used illegal treatments to purify its mineral waters, told AFP on Wednesday January 31 the public prosecutor, Frédéric Nahon, confirming the information from the investigation unit of Radio France and the World. The opening of this investigation in November follows a report from the regional health agency.

According to the investigation by Radio France and WorldNestlé Waters and other manufacturers are suspected of having hidden from the public that the water they pumped was contaminated, and that they used banned purification systems to continue bottling it. Nestlé Waters, the world’s number one mineral water company, informed French authorities in 2021 that it had used banned ultraviolet treatments and activated carbon filters on some of its mineral waters to maintain “their food security”.

The investigations were entrusted to the national fraud repression investigation service. They “are still in progress, in particular to establish whether the name ‘natural’ mineral water is misleading or not”, further clarified the public prosecutor. According to the regulations, for water to qualify as “natural mineral” Or “from source”disinfection devices must not be used.