France: Water Scandal Escalates, Nestlé and Alma Face Accusations
The consumer advocacy group “Foodwatch” has filed two new complaints against Nestlé and the Alma group, in relation to the illegal treatment of bottled water, demanding the swift appointment of an investigative judge.
On January 30, investigations conducted by the investigative unit of Radio France and the newspaper Le Monde revealed that Nestlé, along with other manufacturers, had concealed from the public that the water they were using was contaminated, explaining that they resorted to prohibited filtration systems to continue bottling the water.
The investigations suggest that around 30% of bottled water brands are implicated.
A few days ago, Nestlé reached a public interest judicial agreement with the Épinal court, allowing it to avoid trial in exchange for a fine of 2 million euros.
For its part, “Foodwatch” confirmed that it had “refused Nestlé’s money.”
It is worth noting that the Épinal court, located in Épinal, France, handles civil and criminal cases and is part of the French judicial system, dealing with various legal matters, including commercial and personal cases.
The Paris judicial court will review the two new complaints, with civil party status, to shed light on the responsibility of the manufacturers as well as the lack of transparency from the state in this case.
“Radio France” had revealed last January that the government had been aware of Nestlé’s fraud since 2021, during a secret meeting at the French Ministry of Finance.
After negotiating with the company, the government, at the beginning of 2023, allowed the use of prohibited microfilters under the natural mineral water regulations, despite opposition from its own agencies, including the health safety agency.
The rights organization insists it “will not give in to the burial of this massive fraud that has affected the world for decades, particularly the famous Perrier case,” especially as the financial agreement between Nestlé and the justice system does not close the door to new legal actions.
