A French magistrate has opened a fraud inquiry into mineral water giants Nestlé and Sources Alma over suspicions of illegal processing of water, it was revealed on Friday.
It is understood the move comes in defiance of a recommendation to stop investigating the companies.
The inquiry follows formal complaints made by the Foodwatch watchdog against Nestlé Waters — whose brands include Perrier, Contrex and Vittel — and Sources Alma, France’s biggest mineral water producer.
Foodwatch has led moves to highlight the production methods of the firms in recent years. Foodwatch accuses the companies of misleading consumers over the water in the latest complaint taken up by the magistrate.
On 4 February, an investigation conducted by journalists from Le Monde and Radio France, claimed the French government allowed food and beverage giant Nestlé to continue selling mineral water that did not comply with health regulations.
Le Monde and Radio France revealed that the services of former prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, and the French presidency allowed Nestlé to market these waters, despite the health authorities' recommendations for a ban from 2023.
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No improvement
Citing "exchanges of emails and ministerial notes", the journalists accuse the French government of having "privileged the interests of Nestlé to the detriment of consumers" by granting exemptions for the company's practices. President Emmanuel Macron has denied the accusations of a wide-reaching cover-up.
In 2024, Nestlé Waters admitted using banned filters and ultra-violet treatment on mineral waters, which must be processed naturally by law.
Nestlé Waters paid a two-million-euro fine in September 2024 to avoid legal action over the use of illegal water sources and filtering. It says the filters it uses now are allowed by the government and that its water is “pure”.
Sources Alma had also previously been under investigation by prosecutors.
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Complaints
Another consumer group, CLCV, has also registered complaints which are being studied by magistrates.
The director general of health, Jérome Salomon, had called for the suspension of Nestlé's operations permit at its sites in the Vosges region of eastern France and production of Perrier at Vergèze.
The government’s role in the water scandals has been under investigation by the French senate since November. A senate commission has criticised the government.
Alexandre Ouizille, the head of the commission, welcomed the investigations. “Each hearing we hold confirms to us the failure of ministries and administrative authorities,” he said.
