Is Perrier a pure claim? Bottled water scandal catches France


Hugh Schofield

Paris corresponding

Getty Images A man pours a bottle of perrier water into a glass in a barGetty Images

Major brands like Perrier get attention after the scandal went bankrupt

French multi-billion euros of mineral water companies are attracting attention due to climate change and environmental impacts on the industry.

The question is whether some world-renowned brands, especially the iconic Perrier tag, can continue to call themselves “natural mineral water.”

The decision in the Perrier case will be held in the coming months. It follows the revelation in French media about illegal filtration systems that have been widely used in the industry, apparently due to concerns about water pollution, which have been linked to climate change after years of drought.

“It’s really our water gate,” said Stéphane Mandard, who investigated in the newspaper Le Monde. “It’s a combination of industrial fraud and state collusion.”

“Now, Perrier has a handful of real Damocles hanging on his head.”

According to hydrologist Emma Haziza, “The business model of big producers works well. But in a time of global climate change, this is absolutely unsustainable.”

“When you have a big brand, they have no choice but to treat the water, which means they know there is a problem with the quality.”

Getty Images Perrier, Yorre, Vichy, Vittel, Cristaline, Contrex and Hepar Water stand on the table with each otherGetty Images

EU law says natural mineral water should remain unchanged between underground sources and bottles

A year ago, a survey by French radio stations showed that at least one-third of the mineral water sold in France is illegally processed, with ultraviolet light, carbon filters or ultra-detailed miniatures, often used to screen bacteria.

This problem is not one of public health. By definition, treated water can be safe to drink.

The problem is that, under EU law, “natural mineral water” (sold at a huge tap water premium) should remain unchanged between the underground source and the bottle. That’s the point.

If brands like Evian, Vichy and Perrier have been so successful in France and around the world, it is thanks to the attractive image of mountains, rapids, purity and nurturing healthy minerals.

Acknowledging filtering water, the industry has the potential to disrupt market spells. Consumers may start asking about the payment they have been paying.

What complicated Perrier and his parent company Nestlé and President Emmanuel Macron’s administration was the allegations of executives and ministers conspiring to keep the case quiet, covering up reports of contamination and rewriting the rules so that Perrier could continue to use the minisil.

Le Monde and French Radio (Le Monde) claimed in the investigation that the government believed the mineral water industry was so strategic that it agreed to curb damage to information. The Senate investigation into the incident accused the administration of adopting a “deliberate strategy” of “forged” .

In response to these allegations, the government has asked the European Commission to rule on the allowable levels of trace filtration by “natural mineral water”. Aurelien Rousseau, who was then the head of the cabinet of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, admitted that there were “appreciation mistakes” but insisted that public health never had any risks.

Getty Images French Senators Alexandre Ouizille (c), French Senators Laurent Burgoa (L) and Antoinette Guhl (R), held a press conference in the French Senate in the French Senate, French Senate upper house, French Senate upper house, French Senate upper house, French Senate upper house, French Senate upper house, French Senate upper house, French Senate upper house, French Senate upper house, May 19, 2025, on May 19, 20225, in the French Senate.Getty Images

A Senate report concluded that the French government covers up water scandal “at the highest level”

Earlier this year, at a Senate hearing on the industry, Nestlé CEO Laurent Freixe admitted that Perrier did use illegal methods to treat its water.

But he also accepted another recognition: Official hydrologists reported on the company’s historical sites at the Gard division in southern France, advising not to update the “natural mineral water” status for the company’s output.

It improves for the first time in 160 years, and Perrier Water may soon not be labeled as what people think.

According to hydrologist Emma Haziza, “the link to climate change and global warming is absolutely certain”. And if Perrier feels the impact of other companies, it may be because of its geographical location that sets it apart.

The water of Perrier is far from the remote mountain views you might imagine, drawn from the deep aquifers of the coastal plain between the Nîmes and Montpellier, short from the Mediterranean. The area is very popular, with a large number of breeding and very hot.

“Since 2017, the climate has changed a lot,” Haziza said. “For five years, a series of droughts have been particularly severe in the South.”

A woman in a long wavy strawberry blonde in a white shirt and glasses by the river in southern France.

Emma Haziza says climate change has caused many problems in southern France

“All aquifers are affected. This not only means that the daily tap water comes from the water table. Now, we can see that the deeper aquifers that the companies believe are protected have also been hit.

“This is unforeseen. We are in the period when the company can pump water from deep aquifers and make sure it is replenished until the entire system cannot continue.”

The analysis conducted by Haziza and other hydrologists is that there is now a clear connection between deeper and surface aquifers. Now, with increasing frequent flash flooding, pollutants (farm chemicals or human waste) can now enter the lower aquifer.

At the same time, the effects of long-term drought and excessive water pumping mean that these lower aquifers are smaller in size, so any contaminants will be more concentrated, experts say.

“We can foresee what will happen to other producers in the next few years on the Perrier website first. That’s why we need to get out of our current consumption patterns,” Haziza said.

A smiling man with beard and beard wearing a black shirt rack on a sunny road in southern France

Perrier hydrologist Jérémie Pralong insists that their water is “100%” pure

Last year, at the Perrier site, 3 million bottles had to be destroyed due to contamination. But the company insists that any problem will be discovered quickly; it is controversial about the claim that pollutants enter deep aquifers.

“We are pumping water in water 130 meters underground,” said Perrier hydrologist Jérémie Pralong. “We believe 100% of the purity of water. Its mineral composition is constant.”

Perrier said there is no EU ruling specifically banning microfiltration. Related texts simply put, minerals that make up water or change the minerals that water. The argument ends, starting with what measures, and the changes that have been slightly effective begin.

The original Perrier source was first attacked by local doctors in the 1860s, but under British management, the brand took off 50 years later.

St John Harmsworth was the brother of newspaper tycoons Northcliffe and Rothermere – making Perrier synonymous with mineral water throughout the British Empire.

According to Lore, Harmsworth draws inspiration from the sphere shape of the bottle of the Indian club he used to exercise.

Today, Vergèze’s bottling factory is still located near Harmsworth’s residence and original resources. The plant has been extensively automated. The rails are connected to the SNCF network, bringing hundreds of millions of cans and bottles to the Marseille exit every year.

Perrier bottle crates travel on factory floor on conveyor belt

Perrier’s bottling plant is still next to Vergèze’s water primitive resources

Last year’s focus was on a new brand: Maison Perrier. These energy and flavored drinks are very successful in France and around the world.

Perrier’s advantage is that the new beverage is not claimed to be “natural mineral water”. They can be processed and filtered without any difficulty.

Perrier said the new brand is part of it, and it has no intention of abandoning its original source of Perrier natural mineral water. It has stopped ultrafine (0.2 micron) microfiltration and now uses a 0.45 micron system that has been agreed with the government.

It has applied for the “natural mineral water” status and is only used in the five drilling wells for perrier mineral water. The decision will be made later this year.



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