As of: February 22, 2024, 11:35 a.m
By: Teresa Toth
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Despite strict regulations, contaminants have appeared in Nestlé's mineral water.
Several brands are affected.
Foodwatch wants to take legal action.
Kassel – Water is strictly controlled in Germany.
Therefore, it can usually be drunk directly from the tap without hesitation.
According to the Federal Environment Agency, caution is only necessary with warm tap water.
As with tap water, strict requirements also apply to mineral water from the supermarket.
However, the consumer organization is now warning of contamination - several popular brands are said to be affected.
According to Foodwatch, the popular Vittel brand is among those affected by the contamination.
© Matthias Wehnert/imago
Foodwatch France: Nestlé and Sources Alma defrauded consumers
The producers of the mineral water are the companies Nestlé and Sources Alma.
They deliberately “deceived, ripped off and cheated” consumers, said Ingrid Kragl from the consumer protection organization Foodwatch France in a press release on Wednesday (February 21).
At the end of January, the French newspaper
Le Monde
revealed that Nestlé and other mineral water producers were suspected of having disinfected spring water in an unauthorized manner.
The brands affected include well-known brands such as Perrier and Vittel.
Nestlé confirmed that it had used such methods but had since discontinued them.
These methods included cleaning with activated carbon or UV light.
Nestlé assures that drinking water safety is a top priority
The procedures mentioned are permitted for drinking water from the tap.
However, they are not permitted for spring and mineral water that is presented as unadulterated and at a higher price.
“The goal has always been to guarantee food safety,” emphasized Nestlé.
From now on, the types of water from the affected brands will no longer be treated.
Disinfection of drinking water
There are currently five substances approved in Germany that can be used to disinfect drinking water.
These include sodium and calcium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, chlorine and ozone.
UV-C radiation is also able to kill bacteria and viruses in water.
Source: Federal Environment Agency and Federal Office for Radiation Protection
Foodwatch has taken legal action against the two manufacturers.
Kragl emphasized: “No one is above the law – not even a multinational company like Nestlé.” The allegations of violations of EU regulations were presented in Paris.
There are always price disputes between supermarket chains and Nestlé - often with the result that items are removed from the range.
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Illegal water disinfection by Nestlé: French government in the picture since 2021?
It is planned that Foodwatch will also examine the role of the French state.
According to reports, the government was informed about the events by 2021 at the latest.
In 2022, an investigative commission confirmed that illegal disinfection of spring water was widespread.
However, the report was not published.
Foodwatch reports that Paris did not notify the European Commission or member states of the non-compliance of products sold by Nestlé Waters and Sources Alma.
According to its own information, the organization has therefore asked the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, for a statement.
It currently remains unclear whether the products were also available on the German market - Nestlé stopped selling Vittel in Germany in 2022 due to the controversial water extraction.
(tt)
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