Journalists had access to a report from the Occitanie Regional Health Agency (ARS), dated August 2024. At the end of an inspection carried out in the spring, the inspectors criticized the investigation conditions which “ failed to ensure that there were no other unauthorized processing devices hidden in the plant. (…) Nothing prevents the treatment of natural mineral water by unauthorized processes,” they note. Their previous investigation revealed that Nestlé Waters had used UV treatments for several years to guarantee the quality of its water.
At the same time, still according to the ARS report, the microbiological analyzes of the Nestlé group on the Vergèze spring present “unusual results for natural mineral water”. Inspectors report “instability of the waters”. Nestlé Waters would therefore need to filter the water from the Perrier spring to ensure its sanitary quality. However, following revelations about the treatments carried out on its sources at the start of the year, the company has committed to stopping using filtration systems such as UV filters, prohibited in the marketing of “mineral” waters. “.
Microfilters with uncertain effects
The manufacturer then reinforced its microfilter system, with government agreement according to Radio France, on the Vergèze site. Problem is, if the latter “allow bottles of Perrier sold commercially to have a high compliance rate, they are “not regulatory” in the eyes of ARS agents, because their disinfectant effect is “proven” », scath the journalists. Worse, these filters would not eliminate the viral risk linked to the various contaminations of the source.
The ARS recommends that Nestlé consider the future of exploiting its source. The Swiss agroindustrialist has perhaps already anticipated this: it markets a range of flavored sparkling drinks, grouped for several months under the Maison Perrier brand. On the can, the words “natural mineral water” have been replaced by “flavored sparkling drinks”.
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