The Paris court in Nanterre has rejected an emergency application by the French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir to halt sales of Perrier, allowing parent company Nestlé to continue marketing the brand as “natural mineral water.” Judges ruled that available evidence did not demonstrate an acute health risk or a clear legal breach that would justify removing the iconic green bottles from the market.
The move adds another chapter to the escalating scandal around unauthorised processing methods in the French mineral water industry. French media revealed last year that several producers, including Nestlé Waters, had filtered mineral water with activated carbon or UV light to eliminate impurities—steps not permitted under EU rules for natural mineral water (inside.beer, 29.01.2024).
Although the company said these practices had been discontinued, it later emerged that a microfiltration step had been implemented, a process consumer advocates argue is likewise not approved and indicative of continued contamination concerns.
Additional pressure has come from a separate complaint by Foodwatch, prompting French authorities to search Nestlé’s premises (inside.beer, 11.7.2025). During the investigation, senior executives—among them former CEO Laurent Freixe—were questioned about the handling of filtration procedures and compliance failures long before the scandal became public. Three of the five Perrier springs have since been shut down, and regulators have shifted their focus to other production sites still in operation.
The French consumer authority is examining allegations of misleading advertising after discovering irregular filtration at several Nestlé-operated locations, including Perrier, Hépar and Contrex. A report by the French Senate earlier this year criticised government inaction and suggested that officials had tolerated problematic practices for years. Concerns intensified when inspectors detected faecal bacteria in Perrier samples following heavy rainfall.
While the emergency ruling relieves immediate sales pressure, it does not resolve the core legal questions surrounding the admissibility of past and current treatments. A full decision is still pending, and broader restructuring within Nestlé continues. Although the water division accounts for just 3.5% of Nestlé’s 2024 revenue, yet Perrier remains the flagship of the division now under strategic review, where partnerships or partial divestments are being examined (inside.beer, 16.10.2025).
