With the production of several wells suspended or stopped, no more one-liter bottles of Perrier are leaving the Gard factory. A situation is pushing the authorities to re-evaluate the possibility of renewing the authorization to operate the Vergèze sources.
Perrier, perhaps one of the most famous sparkling waters, is going through a period of turbulence, marked by the cessation of production of its famous one-liter bottles. This decision follows the contamination of several collection wells, leading to a suspension or complete shutdown of production.
According to information obtained by The world and the Radio France investigation unit, the situation took a critical turn last April when one of the plant’s wells was contaminated, leading to its immediate shutdown. More recently, two other catchments had to undergo disinfection operations, further disrupting production activities.
Nestlé, the group that owns the Perrier brand, told Radio France that these interventions were part of a “regular maintenance operation”. However, two other boreholes, regularly subject to contamination, have been permanently taken out of service for the Perrier brand. These wells have, however, been reassigned to the production of a new soft drink, Maison Perrier, which no longer benefits from the designation of natural mineral water, according to a prefectural decree.
Production halted until end of summer
Of the seven wells formerly used for Perrier production, a majority are now suspended, out of service or dedicated to another brand. As a result, production of one-liter bottles of “Perrier vert”, representing the brand’s largest volumes, was interrupted. This interruption should last at least until the end of the summer, again according to information from our colleagues.
Two million bottles destroyed
The situation became even more complicated on April 19, when the prefect of Gard ordered the immediate suspension of the operation of the “Romaine VIII” catchment due to fecal contamination, which could represent a health risk for consumers. State services also demanded the destruction of a batch of two million bottles of Perrier.
The Gard factory under threat…
Faced with this crisis, the future of the factory and its 1,000 employees is uncertain. After the revelations from Le Monde and Radio France, Nestlé announced that it had put in place a transformation plan in agreement with the authorities. The unions, worried about the survival of the factory, triggered their right to alert, provided for by the Labor Code in the event of facts that could seriously affect the economic situation of the company.
In response to these concerns, Nestlé management wanted to reassure: “We have invested significantly, and will continue to do so, to protect this unique heritage and ensure its future.”
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