The famous sparkling water brand Perrier, a subsidiary of the food giant Nestlé, had to stop exploiting one of its boreholes at the request of the French state and destroy “ as a precaution “two million bottles, after the discovery of bacteria” of fecal origin “. This is a new controversy for Nestlé, which has already admitted to having used prohibited treatments for its water.
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It is a new controversy for Nestlé. The prefect of Gard (southern France) has issued formal notice to the company “ suspend without delay » the operation of one of its water catchments on the site producing Perrier, in Vergèze, near Nîmes, in a decree of April 19 consulted on Wednesday by AFP.
It is indicated there that this capture “ presented an episode of contamination from March 10, 2024 and over several days by germs witnessing contamination of fecal origin », type E. coli. It is also emphasized “ that contamination of packaged water (Finished products) from this drilling (…) cannot be excluded (…) and may pose a risk to the health of consumers “.
On Wednesday, Nestlé Waters France, a subsidiary of the world leader in the food industry, announced to AFP that it had, “ as a precaution “, destroy ” several batches » of the Perrier brand. She clarified at the end of the day that this represented two million bottles, less than a figure initially mentioned by a CGT representative from the Vergèze source.
Nowadays, ” there is no consequence on activity or employment, according to our management “, declared this representative, Olivier Almeras, to AFP.
Bottles available on the market can be consumed safely », assures the management.
Nestlé Waters limited itself to mentioning a “ point microbiological deviation » appeared following « very heavy rain linked to a recent Mediterranean type event in the Gard “. Storm Monica hit the south-east of France during the weekend of March 10.
The exploitation of the well concerned can only resume by fulfilling a series of conditions, according to the prefectural decree, in particular research and “ deletion » sources of contamination.
Use of prohibited treatments on mineral waters
This is a new dent in the reputation of the bottled water producer. The food giant publicly admitted in January that it had resorted to to prohibited treatments on mineral waters (disinfection by UV lamp, filtration on activated carbon), to guarantee risk-free consumption. This in France and Switzerland.
In addition to Perrier, Nestlé owns the Vittel, Contrex and Hépar brands in France. Their sources are located in the Vosges, where certain wells have no longer been exploited since last year.
The authorities warned in June 2023 of a “ regular bacteriological contamination »
Concerning the Vergèze site, a letter from the Occitanie regional health agency dated June 2023, consulted by AFP, noted that the operator was faced with a “ regular bacteriological contamination (…) particularly after rainy episodes, on at least five of the seven authorized drillings “. These bacteria indicate contamination by fecal matter, which has penetrated into the water table.
According to the decree of the prefect of Gard, the well where Nestlé can no longer pump until further notice had “ has already been the subject of previous bacteriological contamination following Mediterranean-type rainy episodes “. Such events are brought to reproduce both in frequency and in intensity ”, it is noted.
In case of heavy rain, you have water which infiltrates very quickly into the ground and passes through the water tables without filtering effect, especially if there is the slightest crack in the ground. However, it has previously passed almost everywhere, taking everything in its path, this can particularly affect septic tanks. », Described to AFP Robert Durand, hydrologist and member of the Environnement Méditerranée association. These pits collect water from private toilets not connected to the sanitation network.
To continue to exploit degraded quality drilling, Nestlé Waters has created a new brand, “ Maison Perrier », which produces drinks that have received a drinking treatment, and are therefore safe for health purposes, but sold without the mineral water label.
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