New embarrassing revelations. Nestlé Waters, the subject of a preliminary investigation opened by the Épinal prosecutor’s office for deception, is also the subject of another investigation for operating drilling without authorization, the city’s prosecutor said on Tuesday. “These two investigations are still ongoing” and are separate, said Frédéric Nahon, confirming information from Mediapart.
Mediapart claims that Nestlé Waters operated drilling operations to extract water and sell it illegally, without authorization, between 1992 and 2019. This could represent, over the last 20 years of practice, more than 19 billion liters of water, according to the investigative media, which cites a report by agents of the French Office for Biodiversity submitted to the public prosecutor as part of this investigation.
“All the drillings are known,” assures Nestlé
According to this report, nine drilling operations were carried out without authorisation, including five for Contrex and Vittel water, drawn from the Vosges. The other four drilling operations concerned were for thermal baths and irrigation. Eight others were said to be “legally fragile”, according to the investigators’ writings in a summary table, cited by the media. The OFB investigators, cited by Mediapart, pointed out, as early as 2012, “a significant gap between the elements brought to the attention of the State services and the actual situation of the industrialist’s assets”.
“All Nestlé Waters drilling in the Vosges is known, identified and authorized by the administration and each m3 of water collected is declared to the authorities,” assured Nestlé Waters, specifying that “certain administrative elements from several decades ago were being evaluated by the prosecutor of Épinal” and that “Nestlé Waters was cooperating fully.” “Nestlé Waters France pays all taxes and royalties due,” added the group.
In France, Nestlé Waters owns the Vittel, Contrex and Hépar brands, whose waters are drawn and bottled in the Vosges, and Perrier, in the Gard. The group is also the subject of another preliminary investigation opened by the Épinal public prosecutor’s office for deception, suspected of having used illegal treatments to purify its waters sold as natural mineral waters.
At the end of January, Nestlé Waters admitted to having used prohibited disinfection systems (UV lamp, activated carbon) to maintain the “food safety” of its Vosges waters. Last week, Mediapart had assured that Nestlé Waters had used prohibited treatments for its three Vosges mineral waters for at least fifteen years.