Perrier (mineral water)

2025: Finding gut bacteria in products - Hundreds of thousands of bottles will destroy

On April 18, 2025, it became known that intestinal bacteria were found in the French mineral water Perrier, owned by Nestle Waters, which led to the seizure of about 300 thousand bottles and the recall of hundreds of thousands more from sale. The reason was the excess of the permissible level of viable microorganisms in batches of water spilled at the Verjez plant.

According to Bloomberg, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of the Occitania region has recorded a large-scale bacteriological infection, which led to an immediate shutdown of the production line. The situation is aggravated by the fact that Nestle Waters did not report the problem within the time frame established by law.

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Фото: tw.news.yahoo.com

The ARS CEO is considering revoking the mineral water permit in all Verjez wells, which could bring Perrier production to a complete halt. The decision could be a major blow to a brand with a long history and reputation.

Nestle's problems with mineral water production began even earlier. In 2024, the manufacturer came under scrutiny after acknowledging the use of activated carbon and UV filtration for its mineral waters, including Perrier and Hépar. These cleaning methods are prohibited To Europe in for beverages labeled as "mineral water."

For violation of production technology, the company agreed to pay a fine of €2 million in addition to other sanctions in order to settle criminal cases in France, without admitting its guilt. The Ethos Foundation, which represents Swiss pension funds, accused Nestle of a lack of transparency about the use of illegal water treatment methods.

The chairman of the company, Paul Bulke, commenting on the situation, acknowledged the existence of the problem, calling it "unforgivable," but stressed that the water was always safe for consumers.^[1]

2024: Bacteria found in 2m bottles of water

On April 24, 2024, Nestle Waters announced the destruction of approximately 2 million bottles of Perrier mineral water. The reason was the discovery of "bacteria of fecal origin" in one of the wells in the Gare department in southern France.

It is said that the infection of the source is the result of showers during Hurricane Monica, which hit the region in March 2024. An official statement from Nestle Waters referred to the identification of a "point microbiological deviation" that manifested itself after "very heavy rainfall."

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Фото: Unsplash

Bacterial contamination of water with intestinal and pseudomonas was found at the Nestle site in Vergese. Local authorities demanded to immediately stop the operation of the infected well due to the fact that contamination of bottled water "may pose a danger to the health of consumers." As a precaution, Nestle announced the destruction of a large batch of Perrier water with "at least 2 million bottles." Thus, Nestle ensures that the products on the market meet safety requirements.

It is noted that the Nestle wells in Verjez were previously contaminated. In addition, the same problem is observed at the company's facility in Vosges in northeastern France, where water from Vittel, Hepar and Contrex brands is spilled. In general, it is said about the general deterioration in the quality of groundwater.

In February 2024, European consumer protection association Foodwatch filed a lawsuit against Nestle. The company is said to be using banned Perrier and Vittel water treatment methods at factories in France, including ultraviolet radiation and carbon filters. Such methods of purification are prohibited in the European Union for the production of bottled mineral water.^[2]

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