Pure fraud: how you’re being conned with mineral water
A bottle of Perrier on the terrace? A Vittel in your yoga bag? You think you’re choosing pure nature from an ancient spring. But what you get is a watery lie. Mineral water is big business, and manufacturers like Nestlé make a fortune from it. Literally, because a liter of “premium” mineral water can easily cost 6 euros. By comparison: in the Netherlands, you pay around 0.001 euros per liter for tap water.
So you’d expect something pure in return. Something natural. Something that doesn’t taste like tap water by any stretch of the imagination. But unfortunately: what turns out? You’re being completely fooled.
Perrier from the tap, with a pinch of deception
Manufacturers like Nestlé have been pumping water from polluted sources for years, filtering it using banned methods (think UV filters and carbon), putting it in a fancy bottle with an elegant label and selling it to you as “natural mineral water.” Yes, in the Netherlands too. And that’s not allowed.
Under European rules, natural mineral water must be completely untreated and come directly from a clean source. But Nestlé thought: rules are nice, unless they limit your profit margin. The French government knew about this. And did… nothing. In fact, they actively helped sweep this scandal under the rug.
Lobbying power
Last week, the French Senate published a damning report. After six months of investigating this fraud case, it turns out that Nestlé had support reaching the highest circles of the French government. In 2021, the company began actively lobbying to continue selling Perrier as “natural,” even though the water was still being treated. And sure enough, it succeeded.
The Macron government knew about it, the Senate concludes, but deliberately looked the other way. And Brussels? Nothing was ever reported there. Understandable, if you’re busy covering up billion-euro fraud.
The price of a lie: millions in profits
According to the report, Nestlé made more than €500 million from this fraud. Truckloads of filtered tap water, sold at the price of liquid gold. In plastic, of course. It’s the food equivalent of buying a Rolex on a street corner in Naples. Only this time, it’s six euros per liter.
Foodwatch takes on Nestlé
Fortunately, there’s still someone paying attention: Foodwatch is now taking Nestlé to court. The consumer organization has filed a complaint and is fighting this blatant consumer fraud. And it’s necessary, because when the government fails, someone has to stand up to the giants of the food industry.
And what does Nestlé say?
Nestlé’s excuse? There is no longer enough clean spring water because of “human activity.” Ah, irony. If you pump entire springs dry yourself, package everything in plastic and drive halfway across Europe with diesel trucks full of bottled water, then you certainly know all about that ‘human activity.’
What can you do?
Support organizations such as Foodwatch that expose scandals like this. Because while you think you’re making a healthy choice with your designer bottle of mineral water, you’re really just drinking diluted marketing spin at six euros per liter. As the French say: “Quelle arnaque!”
The legal case against Nestlé is now making headlines worldwide:
A selection of national and international articles:
- de Volkskrant: Traces of fraud involving bottles of ‘pure’ Perrier mineral water lead to French state
- Die Zeit: Senate committee accuses French government of cover-up
- Le Monde: Nestlé’s fraud allegedly netted the industry giant over €500 million
- The Guardian: Perrier owner scrutinised after France reportedly covered up illegal water filter treatment
- The New York Times: Nestlé and French Government Accused of Cover-Up in Perrier Water Scandal
Want to know how the legal case against Nestlé progresses? Follow it via foodwatch.org and stay up to date.
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