French President Emmanuel Macron denied any “agreement” or “collusion” with the Swiss company Nestlé over the bottled water scandal.
“I am not aware of these matters. There was no agreement with anyone and no collusion with anyone,” Macron told reporters on Tuesday.
Nestlé Waters, a subsidiary of the Swiss food giant, was accused of using illegal microfiltration methods on its bottled water brands to bypass health regulations.
The group is the owner in France of brands like Perrier, Vittel, Hépar and Contrex mineral waters.
On Tuesday, investigative journalists from Le Monde and Radio France revealed that the services of former prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, and the French presidency allowed Nestlé to market these waters, despite the health authorities' recommendations for a ban from 2023.
Citing "exchanges of emails and ministerial notes", the journalists accuse the French government of having "privileged the interests of Nestlé to the detriment of consumers" by granting exemptions for the company's practices.
At the beginning of 2024, Nestlé Waters, admitted to having used prohibited techniques such as ultraviolet light and active carbon filters "to guarantee food safety" of its mineral waters. In September, the subsidiary of the Swiss giant had agreed to pay a fine of 2 million euros to avoid a trial, following a complaint from the Foodwatch association.
French consumer rights group Foodwatch called on the French government to finally answer all open questions in the case.
Foodwatch sued Nestlé in February 2024. However, the court in Epinal, where Nestlé has factories in the Vosges, dropped the case – in return for a fine of two million euros. In foodwatch's view, such a fine has no deterrent effect for a company like Nestlé.
“To earn the fine that has now been imposed, Nestlé needs the equivalent of just 99 minutes. For comparison: in 2023, the food manufacturer made a profit of 11.2 billion Swiss francs. Over the years of the fraud, Nestlé sold more than 18 billion bottles of ‘natural’ mineral water, according to media reports. This earned the company 3 billion euros,” – Foodwatch reported.
After new complaints against Nestlé Waters in September 2024, an investigating judge was finally appointed in January 2025.
“Foodwatch is calling for an investigation into the French government’s handling of the case and insists that these fraudulent practices must be thoroughly investigated and stopped”, - the group stated.
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Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 28 September 2026. These are the top stories making headlines in technology.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on bilateral ties and key regional and international developments, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump has denied reports that he offered Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions.
The European Union's decision to simultaneously advance accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania marks its most ambitious enlargement effort in more than two decades.
China has announced plans to complete the world's first AI-driven geological map of Mars by the end of 2028, a project that aims to reconstruct the red planet's ancient water history and introduce a Chinese framework for Martian geological time that Beijing hopes will become a new global standard.
Norway’s parliament on Wednesday began public hearings into ties between late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Norwegian diplomats and politicians, as authorities face questions over the impact of those relationships on the country’s foreign service.
New York prosecutors have reopened a criminal investigation into allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members sexually assaulted a student in 2024. The case is set to be presented to a grand jury following renewed scrutiny.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declared that Brexit has done more harm than good, while reaffirming support for Ukraine and NATO as he used his first Labour conference speech as leader to set out a new direction for Britain.
The arrival in South Korea of two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia has created a rare legal, diplomatic and humanitarian case, raising questions over their status, security and future.
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