2024-01-30 19:07:30
The use of prohibited treatments to purify mineral waters, recognized Monday by the Nestlé group, concerns around a third of brands in France, reported this Tuesday The world et Radio Franceciting a report from Igas inspectors.
“The work revealed that nearly 30% of commercial designations undergo non-compliant processing,” write the two media, referring to the “conclusions” of a report from the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (Igas), submitted to the government in July 2022.
“No health risk has been identified at this stage”
“The mission (of Igas) has no doubt about the fact that the proportion of 30% (of the commercial names concerned) underestimates the phenomenon and that all ore carriers are concerned”, it is indicated in this report, assure Le Monde and Radio France. “This report contains data subject to business secrecy,” a government source said on Tuesday. This source believes “that no health risk linked to the quality of bottled water has been identified at this stage”.
In its investigation, Radio France nevertheless underlines that according to the Igas inspectors, if “overall”, the “level of conformity is high for bottled water, it would not be prudent to conclude that the health risk is perfectly controlled, particularly microbiological risk”.
Like Nestlé, Alma rules out any health risk for consumers. “All the checks by the health authorities showed that our waters were healthy.”
“Non-compliant processing practices”
The government source confirmed that an “inspection mission of natural mineral water and spring water packaging plants” in France was entrusted to Igas, following an approach from Nestlé in the summer of 2021 which had acknowledged to the authorities “non-compliant processing practices on (its) production sites”.
These practices were revealed in the press on Monday by the world number one in mineral water Nestlé Waters, which, taking the lead, assured that they were no longer used in its brands (Perrier, Vittel, Hépar and Contrex) .
A preliminary investigation opened
According to Le Monde and Radio France, the affair began at the end of 2020, when a former employee of the company Sources Alma, which produces around thirty bottled waters in France including Cristaline, Saint-Yorre and Vichy Célestins, reported to the fraud prevention (DGCCRF) of “suspicious practices in a group factory”. This investigation by the DGCCRF led to a preliminary investigation opened by the Cusset public prosecutor’s office (Allier) targeting acts of deception, specify the two media.
The group confirmed that it was the subject of “legal proceedings” relating to “old and isolated facts specific to certain production sites”. Cristaline water, one of the best-selling in France, “has never been targeted”, he insisted.
Another judicial investigation has been opened targeting the Nestlé Waters group for regulatory breaches, the government source confirmed, without specifying the location. According to Radio France and Le Monde, it was opened by the Epinal public prosecutor’s office.
Reactions in the environment militant
The Ecologists (ex-EELV) demanded sanctions on Tuesday against the world number one in mineral water, the boss of the Greens, Marine Tondelier, declared on X. “Natural bottled water is sold 100 times more expensive than tap water,” she denounced.
“It would seem logical that an investigation would be opened by the courts to determine the responsibilities of the companies, but also of the policies in place at the time and which would have covered up these actions,” said the entourage of the boss of the Ecologists.
The consumer defense association Foodwatch announced on Tuesday its intention to file a complaint. “No multinational is above the law. However, it seems that companies have preferred to circumvent the law to continue to sell their products,” said Ingrid Kragl, information director of Foodwatch, in a press release.
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