Nestle Waters has been fined more than $610,000 for having used activated carbon filters on its Henniez bottled mineral water, Swiss public prosecutors announced Wednesday.
The attorney general of western Switzerland’s Vaud canton — where Nestle has its headquarters, and where Henniez water is sourced — accused the global food giant’s bottled water division of “misleading consumers” by having “natural mineral water” on the label between 2008 and 2022.
“In doing so, the attorney general believes that the company obtained economic advantages by not complying with its legal labelling obligations,” a statement said, announcing the fine of 500,000 Swiss francs.
In France, Nestle’s bottled waters — which include the iconic Perrier brand — have been at the centre of a scandal since early 2024 regarding the use of micro-filtration processes.
Banned for mineral waters, these processes were used by several producers, including Nestle, as revealed by the French newspaper Le Monde and Radio France.
Shortly afterwards, Swiss newspaper Le Temps revealed that the Nestle Waters had also used carbon filters in the Henniez brand’s factory in Switzerland.
The attorney general’s office said that the use of an activated carbon filtration process was discovered in the Henniez plant during an inspection in 2020.
Some treatments are allowed, and the Vaud consumer office recommended that Nestle Waters apply for an exemption. However, this was refused, and the company was given until the end of 2022 to remove its carbon filter installation.
A March 2023 inspection confirmed that the filter had indeed been decommissioned.
But the consumer office sent a complaint to the cantonal public prosecutors, accusing Nestle Waters of having concealed the use of a carbon filter.
The attorney general imposed a fine of 500,000 Swiss francs on Nestle, whose water brands last year generated sales of 3.2 billion Swiss francs ($4 billion).
“This amount takes into account the specific circumstances of the case, as the water produced presented no danger to consumers, either before or after filtration,” the statement said.
“It also takes into account the full and complete cooperation of Nestle Waters’ management during the proceedings.”
A Nestle Waters spokesperson told AFP the filters did not comply with Swiss regulations on mineral waters and have since been removed under the supervision of the authorities.
“We accept the ruling and express our regret for this past situation,” the spokesperson said.
“Henniez mineral water can, and always could be, drunk with complete confidence, and its unique mineral composition, as indicated on the label, has always been preserved.”
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© Agence France-Presse
