The Perrier brand finds itself threatened and could even disappear due to a serious production defect. This is what we learn following a shocking investigation.
Perrier is a brand of sparkling mineral water very popular with the French, operated by the Nestlé group for more than 160 years. This being said, according to information from Monde and the investigation unit of Radio France who had access to a confidential report from the Occitanie Regional Health Agency (ARS), serious incidents were observed on the Vergèze site in Gard where Perrier brand water comes from.
This report follows an unannounced inspection on May 30 at the factory. Quality controls presented microbiological results “unusual for natural mineral water”, with “instability of the water”. He concluded that the quality of exploited water resources was insufficient to produce natural mineral water. There might even be a potential virological risk for consumers.
Last spring, it was already noted that the production of several wells had been suspended to undergo disinfection operations. Two drillings should even have completely stopped producing following regular contamination. From April, the use of a first catchment was suspended at the request of the prefect of Gard following an “episode of contamination over several days by germs witnessing contamination of fecal origin”, which could “create a risk for the health of consumers. A batch of nearly three million bottles was also destroyed as a precaution and the production of one-liter bottles of “Perrier vert” was temporarily suspended.
The planned cessation of production
The future of the brand could thus be threatened following this new report. The Occitanie Regional Health Agency is considering “a cessation of the production of natural mineral water on the Vergèze site” and calls on Nestlé to “strategically examine” another possible use of its catchments, “under conditions which would provide health safety guarantees, which will prove essential. The withdrawal of operating authorizations is therefore no longer excluded. The Gard prefecture must rule on the renewal request filed in October 2023 by Nestlé, with a decision which could be rendered in the “first half of 2025”. The Radio France investigation states very clearly: “The withdrawal of the firm's operating authorizations is no longer excluded. If this were to be confirmed, the Perrier brand could be threatened with disappearance.”
Nestlé, for its part, indicated “operating on the Vergèze site in accordance with the framework set by the authorities and under their control”. The group responded reassuringly to Radio France: “We have invested significantly, and will continue to do so, to protect this unique heritage and ensure its future.”
This is not the first time that such a controversy has arisen. According to Radio France, Nestlé admitted to the cabinet of Agnès Pannier-Runacher, then Minister for Industry, that it had used illicit treatments such as UV or carbon filters, to conceal the contamination of water tables in particular. for brands like Hépar, Contrex and Vittel. Since then, the alerts have continued. Last October, the National Food Safety Agency alerted the government of the “insufficient level of confidence” to ensure “the health quality of finished products”, following the location of several drillings near “potential sources of contamination “. Nestlé then assured to launch a plan to transform its factories and stop illegal processing.
