French authorities conducted a raid on the headquarters of Nestlé in Issy-les-Moulineaux on July 10, as part of a judicial investigation into suspected violations in the marketing of its bottled water products. The probe was initiated in February 2025 by the public health division of the Paris judicial court and is being led by the Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).
The investigation was triggered by a complaint from consumer rights group Foodwatch, targeting Nestlé and its subsidiary Nestlé Waters. The allegations focus on accusations that the company used unauthorised filtration techniques to treat water sourced from contaminated wells. Despite this, the water continued to be marketed as “natural mineral water”, a label that legally requires specific and unaltered geological purity.
The affected brands include Perrier, Hépar, Contrex, and Vittel, all of which have faced scrutiny in France for years due to concerns over processing practices and sustainability.
Nestlé Waters acknowledged the raid and stated it is cooperating fully with the authorities. Back in April, Laurent Freixe, CEO of Nestlé, testified before a parliamentary commission, expressing regret over past practices and affirming that corrective measures had since been implemented.
However, Foodwatch has labelled the affair a “massive fraud,” with Chris Methmann, managing director of Foodwatch Germany, accusing Nestlé of endangering public trust and consumer health by selling processed spring water as natural. He warned that letting such actions go unpunished would weaken the foundations of food safety regulations.
The allegations are not new.In a public statement released on January 29, 2024, Nestlé Waters admitted to violating French laws by using prohibited treatments such as ultraviolet light and active carbon filters for brands including Perrier and Vittel. The company had informed French authorities about the practice in 2021 but did not indicate when the illegal treatments ended. Under French law, disinfecting mineral water is forbidden since it must be safe to drink directly from its source. Nestlé justified the treatments as necessary due to environmental changes near the water sources. After discontinuing the practices, the company had to halt production at some wells in eastern France, particularly impacting Hépar and Contrex. (inside.beer, 29.01.2024).
