Nestlé is allowed to continue selling Perrier as natural mineral water in France for the time being.
A court in Nanterre has rejected a temporary sales ban requested by consumer advocates.
With the ruling, which is available to the AWP news agency, all of UFC-Que Choisir’s lawsuits have been rejected. It was said that a health risk to consumers could not be proven to the extent required for an urgent application. No “immediate damage” was proven.
The court also ordered the association to cover the costs. UFC-Que Choisir has to pay 5,000 euros to Nestlé so that Perrier can continue to be sold as natural mineral water in France for the time being. Waters and two subsidiaries pay – including the one that runs the Perrier production facility in Vergèze in the Gard department.
The consumer protection organization UFC-Que Choisir wanted to have Nestlé banned from continuing to sell Perrier as “natural mineral water” because of allegedly illegal processing processes. It was about the accusation that the water had been treated using processes that contradict EU rules. Nestlé had always stated that it worked under supervision and that safety was never at risk.
Final clarification is still pending
The Swiss food giant welcomed the court’s decision to reject all of UFC-Que Choisir’s claims in the case. The ruling confirmed “that the food safety of Perrier mineral water was always guaranteed and that Perrier mineral water can continue to be sold under the circumstances,” Nestlé said in response to an AWP request on Tuesday evening.
However, the decision is not a main procedure, but rather an emergency decision involving interim measures such as a sales stop. The final legal clarification of the admissibility of the processing procedures is still pending.
UFC-Que Choisir had filed a criminal complaint with the Nanterre public prosecutor’s office against Nestlé Waters and various actors allegedly involved in the scandal. “The lawsuit is still under review,” said UFC’s Que Choisir.
Significant market
The dispute is part of a larger scandal surrounding Nestlé Waters after the use of banned filter and UV technology became known in France at the beginning of 2024. The company paid a fine of two million euros to avoid proceedings. A Senate investigation later also spoke of a cover-up by government agencies.
There is a significant market behind the dispute. Perrier comes from a spring in Vergèze in the south of France between Montpellier and Nîmes, which has been tapped for over 120 years. Around 1,000 people work there.
NANTERRE (dpa-AFX)
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