On January 30, local time in France, according to a joint investigation report by Le Monde and Radio France, bottled water sold with the label "spring water" or "natural mineral water" has long been prohibited from using purification technology, but more than 30% of French natural mineral water brands are suspected of violating this violation.

Nestlé's Vittel, Hépar, Perrier (Perrier), Contrex, and Alma's Cristalline, St-Yorre, Chateldon, VichyCélestins and other brands are among the suspected violations. These brands account for more than 80% of French bottled water, selling billions of liters of bottled water to consumers every year.

According to Le Monde,Nestlé Waters has admitted the charges,It said some water bodies, such as Perrier, were treated with UV rays and activated carbon filters."To ensure food safety", he said that he had notified the French authorities of the matter as early as 2021. The company also said it had eliminated the impermissible treatment and all relevant brands now meet French requirements.

In this regard, French media questioned that the government was covering up and accommodating in this regard. In February 2023, the French government allowed the use of microfiltration purification technology so that the factory could continue to operate, but this was not in compliance with relevant EU laws.

So far, there have been no reports of health risks associated with French bottled water,It is also unclear whether the products involved have any impact outside of France.. However, French media quoted a scientific study as saying,“It would be imprudent to conclude that health risks, especially microbial risks, are fully controlled”.


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More than 30% of French brands operate in violation of regulations

According to a report by Le Monde on January 30, local time, in a report submitted to the French government in July 2022, the French General Inspectorate of Social Affairs estimated that 30% of French (bottled water) brands used non-compliant processing methods. The agency's investigation team believes that 30% may be an underestimate.

Citing a confidential government document, the report said companies such as Nestlé had been using non-compliant practices for years. Due to the presence of sporadic contamination from bacterial or chemical sources, these companies use microfiltration technology, ultraviolet light, and carbon-active substances below the 0.8 micron (µm) threshold to treat bottled water sold as "spring water" or "natural mineral water." These purification technologies are suitable for use with tap water or "water treated for drinking" but are prohibited for use with "spring water" or "natural mineral water".

According to the regulations of the French National Agency for Food, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), "natural mineral water" refers to natural pure water that can be drank directly. Bottled water labeled with "spring water" or "natural mineral water" should come from well-preserved groundwater resources. It is very pure natural water and must not be disinfected.


Screenshot of ANSES website

Le Monde reported that Nestlé Waters has acknowledged the accusation, saying that some waters such as Perrier and Vitre were treated with ultraviolet and activated carbon filters "to ensure food safety," and that it had notified the French authorities of the matter as early as 2021. The company said it had removed the treatment that was not allowed in France and that all relevant brands now meet French requirements.

Nestlé suspended production from some wells in the Vosges province in eastern France due to the breach. Muriel Lino, president of Nestlé Waters, also said there was a need to "overcome the effects of climate change and rising water stress, which are affecting the mineral content of its waters to a certain extent," but that there were no bacteria or pesticide metabolites in the raw water.

However, Le Monde cited the above-mentioned confidential government documents as saying that some Nestlé Waters wells suffered from recurring or seasonal problems with coliform contamination "from fecal contamination" and this was deliberately concealed.

In addition, reports stated that on December 10, 2020, the French General Authority for Competition, Consumption and Anti-Fraud also conducted an investigation into the Alma Group (which includes bottled water brands such as Cristalline, St-Yorre, Chateldon, and Vichy Célestins). The investigation found that the company "unauthorized mixing of water from multiple sources," occasionally mixed with "tap water," added "industrial carbon dioxide" to so-called "natural gas state" mineral water, used "iron sulfate injection" and "activated carbon filters," and employed "unauthorized microfiltration," ozone water disinfection and "ultraviolet water filtration."

In response, Alma responded, "We will not use any non-compliant treatment methods for any Alma brand."

The French government has been questioned about cover-ups and accommodations

In addition, the report questioned the cover-up and accommodating behavior of the French government, saying that since learning of the violations by Nestlé Waters Group and others in August 2021, the government has been trying to manage the crisis with maximum discretion, and made a decision on February 22, 2023 to allow the use of microfiltration purification technology, so that multiple sites of the above-mentioned brands can continue to operate.

Le Monde said one of the reasons driving the government's decision was Nestlé Waters' belief that thousands of jobs would be at risk if operations at some of the company's factories in the Vosges and Gard were to be shut down.

However, it is questionable whether the regulatory relaxation is consistent with relevant EU regulations. According to the report,The French government has not notified the European Commission or Member States of this situation in accordance with Directive 2009-54-CE.

The reporter noted that the EU directive stipulates that without changing the basic composition, natural mineral water must not undergo any other treatment except the separation of unstable elements by filtration or decantation, the separation of iron, manganese and sulfur compounds and arsenic by using ozone-rich air, and the elimination of free carbon dioxide by physical methods.


Screenshot of EU official website

In France, the regulatory principles for natural mineral waters were originally formulated by the French Food Safety Authority (Afssa), the predecessor of ANSES.

The report mentioned that in a 2001 Afssa opinion, the agency “estimated that the implementation of 0.8µm microfiltration would be acceptable because it would not alter the ‘microbiome’ of the water. In fact, for the purest water, any disinfection process is prohibited "Microfilters below 0.8µm can filter bacteria and protozoa, thus performing a de facto disinfection effect." This means that microfiltration below 0.8µm will change the composition of the water, and water sources using microfiltration below 0.8µm may be contaminated.

In February 2023, the government passed regulations for the use of microfiltration below 0.8µm. When questioned by Le Monde and France Radio, the government claimed that this was to preserve certain substances rather than change water quality.

Moreover, the aforementioned confidential government document mentioned that water quality contamination can occasionally be due to abnormal weather events, unexpected intervention not far from drilling or technical problems in the installation, or it can be the result of "natural vulnerability of the resource, overexploitation or increased anthropogenic pressure." However, after this long-term contamination occurs, the factory should be closed. If the quality of the produced water deteriorates, it can only be sold at a low price as "treated potable water".

From all aspects,The report believes that it is unreasonable for the French government to regulate corporate behavior.According to reports, French prosecutors said on January 31 that they had begun an investigation into suspected fraud in Nestlé Waters in January.

Health worries are hard to hide

According to reports,So far, no health risks related to the quality of French bottled water have been identified. However, French media stated that "it would be imprudent to conclude that health risks are completely under control, especially microbial risks."

But Le Monde cited a scientific study as saying that treated bottled water from the above-mentioned brands may pose health risks. In early January, researchers at Columbia University proposed a method to quantify and characterize plastic microparticles and nanoparticles in water in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers say the presence of microplastics (1µm~5mm in length) and even nanoplastics (<1µm), which are considered more toxic because their smaller size makes it easier for them to enter the human body compared to microplastics, has caused health concerns.

Researchers tested three brands of (unknown) bottled water and found an average of 240,000 detectable nanoplastic particles per liter of bottled water, 10 to 100 times higher than previously estimated.The study suggests this hitherto unmeasured contamination may come from microfiltration technology used upstream of bottling.

At present, it is unclear whether the incident exposed by French media is related to domestic products. According to media reports in 2020, Nestlé’s water business in China includes the global brand Nestlé Premium Life and local brands Dashan and Yunnan Spring. The company also sells drinking water from natural mineral water brands such as Perrier, S.Pellegrino and AcquaPanna to Chinese consumers.

A "Daily Economic News" reporter inquired about the standards of domestic natural mineral water and found that the "National Food Safety Standard for Drinking Natural Mineral Water" (GB2762-2018) stipulates that drinking natural mineral water should naturally gush from deep underground or be collected through drilling, contain a certain amount of minerals, trace elements or other components, be unpolluted in a certain area and take preventive measures to avoid contamination; under normal circumstances, its chemical composition, flow rate, water temperature and other dynamic indicators are relatively stable within the range of natural cycle fluctuations. And has the following boundary indicators:


Screenshot of "National Food Safety Standard for Drinking Natural Mineral Water" (GB2762-2018)

In fact, this is not the first time that Nestlé has been involved in fraud disputes. According to multiple foreign media reports in 2017, Nestlé was sued in the United States. Consumers from eight states including Connecticut and Maine claimed that Nestlé North America deceived them into paying exorbitant fees by labeling Poland Spring as "100% natural spring water," but in fact Poland Spring was just "ordinary groundwater."

According to the lawsuit, Nestlé Poland Spring brand mineral water comes from wells drilled by the company in water-rich flatlands or valleys, and the water supply surface is only a few feet above the ground. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines mineral water as "water originating from underground sources and flowing naturally to the surface." There are also specific requirements for the way water is extracted.

Nestlé said in a statement: "Poland Spring is 100% mineral water and meets the definition of mineral water in FDA regulations, all state and regional regulations governing the classification characteristics of mineral water, and all federal and state regulations governing the mining, manufacturing, product quality and labeling of mineral water."

Nestlé has also been accused of false advertising for this brand. The Washington Post reported in 2003 that Nestlé paid $12 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing PolandSpring of false advertising.

In addition, in 2020, according to Swiss media reports, data from Swiss researchers showed that Evian mineral water detected the residue of a banned fungicide, chlorothalonil, at a concentration of approximately 6 nanograms per liter. Although the concentration is well below the legal limit and is not harmful to health, it has also raised concerns in the industry about whether such bottled water is handled appropriately.