Nanterre (France) (AFP) – A French court on Tuesday said Perrier can keep selling its famed sparkling beverage as “natural mineral water,” rejecting a case brought by a consumer rights group that said the label was misleading and urged the suspension of sales.
UFC-Que Choisir, which lodged its request with a court in Nanterre near Paris, had argued that the company’s microfiltration process meant Perrier could no longer claim the “natural mineral water” designation. “The existence of a health risk to consumers linked to Perrier waters labelled ‘natural mineral waters’ has not been established,” said the Nanterre court on Tuesday.
In early 2024, media reported that Nestle Waters, which also owns the Vittel and Contrex brands, had used banned processes to improve its quality, including ultraviolet treatment and activated carbon filters. Such treatment is contrary to French and European law that states natural mineral water cannot undergo any processes that change its original state. Perrier is obtained from a spring in southern France.
In 2024, Nestle Waters admitted using banned filters and ultra-violet treatment on mineral waters. The company paid a two-million-euro ($2.2-million) fine to avoid legal action over the use of illegal water sources and filtering. In June of this year, Nestle Waters was fined more than $610,000 in Switzerland for having used activated carbon filters on its Henniez bottled mineral water.
© 2024 AFP
