Two million bottles of Perrier mineral water were destroyed as a precaution due to bacterial contamination in one of seven wells in the Gard department in southern France.
Nestlé, which owns the Perrier mineral water brand, says that “all other bottles on the market are completely safe to drink.”
It is reported that the water contamination occurred following “very heavy rains caused by Hurricane Monica” which hit south-eastern France on March 10.
In turn, the prefect of the Gard department announced that he had given the company official notice of the “immediate suspension” of the work of one of the wells at the plant due to contamination of the water with microbes of fecal origin (coliforms, Escherichia coli), as well as microbes of the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
The Occitanie region’s health agency notes that the Perrier plant faces “regular bacteriological contamination in at least five of its seven wells.” These are contaminants that require treatment with activated carbon filters and UV filters. But since, according to regulations, their use will no longer allow water to be labeled “natural mineral water,” the manufacturer refuses proper processing.
The spring (French Les Bouillens), located 15 kilometers from the city of Nîmes, has been known for the healing properties of water since the times of the Roman Empire. In 1903, local doctor Louis Perrier purchased the spring and began selling mineral water under the Perrier brand. The source was later sold to British tycoon John Harmsworth, who focused his efforts on promoting Perrier water in the UK, the process of the brand’s entry into a new market coincided with a wave of fashion for everything French within Britain. Currently, 95% of Perrier mineral water sales come from the US and UK.
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2024-05-02 07:14:11
