Nestlé admits to using restrictive treatments on mineral water
The group wanted to guarantee the “food safety” of some of its brands.
The world’s number one mineral water company, Nestlé Waters, informed French authorities in 2021 that it used banned ultraviolet treatment and activated carbon filters on some of its mineral waters. “Their Food Security” Confirms information from the echo. Although these treatments “Always aiming to ensure food safety”they “The company lost sight of the issue of regulatory compliance”Nestle Waters explained.
Related brands, Perrier, Vittel, Hépar and Contrex, all owned by Nestlé, now “Fully compatible with the regulatory framework applicable in France”promises the company.
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Some activities suspended
Regulations prohibit any disinfection of mineral water which must naturally be of high microbiological quality, unlike tap water which is disinfected before becoming potable. A regulation that has been interpreted to exclude ultraviolet treatment and activated carbon filters used by Nestlé Waters at least until 2021, without knowing a specific stop date.
But justifies the use of these technologies by the company “Changes in the environment surrounding its sources, which sometimes make it difficult to maintain the stability of essential characteristics” of its waters, in other words their food security (no pollution) and their mineral composition. The discontinuation of these treatment and filtration devices forced Nestlé Waters to suspend operations at some of its wells in the Vosges. “Their Susceptibility to Climate Hazards”Hépar and Contrex lead to decline in production volume.