On May 7, the prefect of Gard, Jérôme Bonet, had put Nestlé in the case of fraud with natural mineral waters, to stop using “Filters with a diameter of 0.2 micron” in its Perrier factory in Vergèze, believing that they were “In contradiction with the regulations”. He had given two months to the world’s worldwater leader to remove them and comply with the law.
Thursday, July 3, three days before the Ultimatum, the Swiss group announced that it has “Adapted” its microfiltration device “Following the prefect’s request” and have set up “A new microfiltration device at 0.45 micron (…) in accordance with exchanges with the health authorities ”. The agrifood giant adds that “Fifteen days after the Vosges website [où sont embouteillées les marques Vittel, Hépar et Contrex], This new device is therefore operational on the Vergèze site ».
According to information from MondeTHE “Exchanges with the health authorities” were limited to a phone call from the president of Nestlé Waters, Muriel Lenau, Thursday, in the early afternoon, to the Prefect of Gard. At the end of the day, the latter had still not received a document from the group attesting that a new filtration system had been put in place. The Regional Health Agency (ARS) in Occitanie, responsible for controlling the sanitary quality of bottled waters, had not received documentation either on Thursday evening. The prefecture indicates that it will ask the ARS to verify that the illegal filters have been removed to replace them with a microfiltration at 0.45 micron.
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