The French state covered Nestle Water Skandal: Senate report

The French government “at the highest level” covered up a scandal on the treatment of mineral water through the food giant Nestle, including the legendary Perrier brand, announced an investigation by the Senate on Monday.

In recent years, the Swiss food and beverage conflomerat has been put under pressure under pressure from its Perrier and other brands, since the EU regulations strictly restrict the treatments for each product marketed as natural mineral water.

“In addition to the lack of transparency of Nestle Waters, it is important to highlight the lack of transparency of the state towards both local and European authorities and to the French people,” said the Senate Report.

The report follows a six -month Senate examination with more than 70 hearings.

“This veiling is part of a deliberate strategy that will be addressed on October 14, 2021 at the first interministerial meeting about natural mineral waters,” the report said.

“Almost four years later, transparency has not yet been reached,” says the report.

One of the most famous mineral waters in the world, which traditionally served with a lemon disc on ice and was won by a source in southern France, was acquired by Nestle in the early 1990s.

– 'Highest level of the state' – –

At the end of 2020, Nestle Waters' new management claims that the use of prohibited treatments for mineral water at the Perrier, Hepar and Controp locations.

The company turned to the government to receive help and then present a plan to approach the problem in mid -2021 and Elysee Palace.

Eighteen months later, the authorities approved a plan to replace banned ultraviolets treatments and activated carbon filters by microfilers.

The method can be used to remove iron or manganese, but the manufacturer has to prove that the water has not been changed.

European law stipulates that natural mineral waters cannot be disinfected or treated in any way that changes its characteristics.

The report states that “despite the consumer fraud represented by water disinfection, the authorities did not take legal action in response to the revelations of 2021.

“It was on the highest level of the state that the decision to approve the microfiltration below the 0.8 micron threshold was made,” the report said.

The step was made with decisions by the authorities, including the office of the then Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, even though it did not seem to have been informed, the report added.

The Commission also accused that President Emmanuel Macron's office “had known at least since 2022 that Nestle had cheated for years”.

Alexis Kohler, then Secretary General of the Elysee, met with Nestle managers.

In 2024, Nestle Waters gave up to use forbidden filters and ultraviolet treatment in mineral waters.

The company paid a two-million euro money penalty ($ 2.2 million) to avoid legal steps against the use of illegal water sources and filtering. At that time, however, it was said that the government was approved by the government and that its water was “pure”.

Cho-Bur-as/SJW/LTH