What is the Nestlé Perrier filtration scandal? Summary
- French court dismissed lawsuit seeking recall of Perrier mineral water bottles
- Nestlé admitted using illegal filtration to mask bacteria and pesticide contamination
- Outcome unlikely to derail Nestlé’s planned partial sale of its waters business
French media has dubbed it ‘Watergate’ – and despite the tongue-in-cheek label, the allegations against Nestlé Waters are serious. The division behind brands such as Perrier, Sanpellegrino, Pure Life, and Acqua Panna has admitted to using illegal filtration methods to mask contamination from bacteria and pesticides in its mineral water products.
But in Nanterre, France, where amid the scandal consumer group UFC-Que Choisir initiated legal proceedings to suspend sales and recall all Perrier bottles marketed as “natural” mineral water, that issue has been settled. The French court threw out the case, contending there’s not enough evidence that microfiltration methods pose a serious health risk, nor that Nestlé’s actions warrant an urgent suspension and recall.
UFC-Que Choisir has been ordered to pay Nestlé’s legal costs, reported at €5,000. The consumer group president Marie-Amandine Stévenin says the decision is “disappointing”. “From a health perspective, must we wait until people are seriously ill before this issue is addressed seriously? From an economic perspective, what message is being sent to both consumers and the market?”
On the other hand, Nestlé’s is welcoming the call. “This decision reconfirms that the food safety of Perrier natural mineral waters has always been guaranteed and that under the current circumstances, Perrier natural mineral water can continue to be sold,” said a company spokesperson.
The court didn’t rule on the overall legality of Nestlé’s water treatment practices, but the outcome is unlikely to hurt its plans to sell part of its waters business. Evidence of health risks from filtration could deter potential partners, yet whether a scandal jeopardizes a deal depends on financial and reputational fallout. For UFC-Choisir’s case in Nanterre, neither appears to pose a threat.
