France

UFC-Que Choisir files a complaint against Nestlé and several ministers

- 2:58 pm
Perrier

Perrier

UFC-Que Choisir has lodged a complaint against Nestlé Waters and several members of the government, following revelations about the illegal use of microfiltration for so-called “natural mineral” waters, notably Perrier.

The consumer association accuses Nestlé of massive deception of consumers, and the State of having knowingly concealed this fraud, as indicated in a Senate report. Two complaints were filed:

  • With the Nanterre public prosecutor, targeting Nestlé Waters, its executives, its lobbyist, certain members of ministerial cabinets, ARS Occitanie, and “X” for suspicion of corruption and influence peddling.
  • Before the Court of Justice of the Republic, targeting former ministers (Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Roland Lescure, Aurélien Rousseau, Agnès Firmin-le Bodo) for their alleged role in the cover-up.

At the same time, a summary procedure has been launched to obtain the withdrawal of the products, a ban on their sale and the cessation of misleading labelling. A hearing is scheduled for early July.

This scandal highlights major flaws in the regulation of bottled water in France.

Massive fraud

The health and political scandal is confirmed by the damning report of the Senate inquiry commission, which reveals the use of illegal treatments by manufacturers, notably Nestlé Waters, on water that is nevertheless sold as “natural”. The French government is accused of knowingly covering up these practices. A look back at an explosive affair.
Natural” water… artificially purified

Perrier, Vittel, Hépar, Contrex… Familiar brands, synonymous with purity and health, are now at the heart of a massive fraud. According to a report published on May 20, 2025 by a Senate committee, several mineral water companies, including Nestlé Waters, have used prohibited techniques – advanced microfiltration, ultraviolet, activated carbon, injection of iron sulfate – to decontaminate their spring waters. These treatments are authorized for tap water, but prohibited for natural mineral water, which is supposed to be of impeccable purity.

The use of these methods undermines the very basis of the “natural mineral water” appellation, which justifies its price being up to 400 times higher than tap water. And yet, these adulterated waters continued to be marketed as “natural”, deceiving millions of consumers. The damage is estimated at nearly 3 billion euros.

Two decades of failures ignored

Fraud is not a one-off accident. According to the commission’s findings, non-compliant purification practices have been going on for at least twenty years. And yet, it wasn’t until 2019, thanks to a whistleblower from Alma (Cristaline, Vichy Célestins…), that the authorities began to investigate. But what should have been a major health scare turned into complicit silence.

Nestlé, food safety and climate justifications

When questioned, Nestlé executives tried to play down the facts. According to them, the treatments were only intended to deal with new health threats linked to global warming and urbanization. However, the commission notes that Nestlé has never provided proof that these processes had no impact on the sanitary quality of the water. Worse still, some devices have been discreetly abandoned from 2021, under pressure from a DGCCRF investigation.

State complicity: between lobbying and inertia

But beyond the responsibility of manufacturers, it is the role of the State that is scandalizing. In 2021, informed of Nestlé’s practices, the ministerial cabinets – notably that of Agnès Pannier-Runacher – not only failed to refer the matter to the courts, as required by Article 40 of the French Penal Code, but also concealed the affair from public opinion and the health authorities.

Worse still, the government agreed to relax regulations to allow Nestlé to continue production, despite the obvious illegality of certain processes. The report denounces a general laxity, a minimization of risks and an obvious submission to the blackmail of jobs brandished by the industrialist.

A report modified under Nestlé’s influence

The height of the scandal came at the end of 2023, when an ARS Occitanie report on water catchments deemed to be non-compliant was modified at Nestlé’s request before being presented to the relevant departmental committee. Mentions of the presence of banned pesticides and bacteria such as E. coli were removed, with the alleged complicity of the Gard Prefect and the Ministry of Health. According to the commission, Nestlé even co-authored the report. “Inexplicable and inexcusable”, says Senator Alexandre Ouizille.

No questioning, just contempt

Neither the manufacturers nor the authorities seem prepared to draw any conclusions from this affair. The non-compliant 0.2-micron filters are still in place in Nestlé factories. The Gard prefect recently demanded their removal from Vergèze within two months, but the company’s justifications remain unclear.

On the executive side, radio silence. Alexis Kohler, Secretary General of the Élysée Palace at the time of the events, has refused to appear in court. Several Nestlé executives, for their part, provided disputed testimony – to the extent that the commission referred the matter to the public prosecutor’s office for perjury.

What’s next?

Faced with this situation, UFC-Que Choisir has decided to take the matter to court. At a time when public confidence in institutions is fragile, this water scandal is likely to leave a lasting mark. The mineral water slogan “healthy by nature” now seems a long way from reality.

 

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