Bottled Up The French Government's Controversial Decision to Allow Nestle to Use Banned Filter for Mineral Water

Title Bottled Up The French Government's Controversial Decision to Allow Nestle to Use Banned Filter for Mineral Water

The recent revelation that the French government has allowed food giant Nestle to sell bottled water using a banned filtering method has sparked widespread criticism. Despite recommendations from health services to the contrary, the government granted an exception for the use of micro-filters, which are illegal in France. This decision raises serious questions about the priorities of those in power and the impact on consumers.

According to reports from Le Monde daily and Radio France, the offices of the prime minister and president intervened on behalf of Nestle to allow the company to continue using micro-filters, despite agreeing to pay a fine of two million euros ($2.2 million) to settle probes into the use of unauthorized water sources and fraud for filtering mineral waters.

The controversy began in September when Nestle's water subsidiary agreed to pay the fine to settle preliminary probes into its practices. This followed a complaint brought by the Foodwatch association, which raised concerns about the company's filtering methods.

However, it appears that the French government intervened on behalf of Nestle to allow them to continue using micro-filters. As early as 2023, the prime minister's office had favored the interests of Nestle to the detriment of consumers by granting an exception for the use of these filters, which are illegal in France.

The boss of the DGS health authority recommended the immediate suspension of authorization for Nestle to sell water from French wells due to contamination concerns. However, this recommendation was ignored, and instead, Nestle was allowed to continue using micro-filters.

This decision appears to have been influenced by intense lobbying efforts on behalf of Nestle, including a meeting with Macron's chief of staff, Alexis Kohler, with Nestle representatives. This raises serious questions about the level of influence that large corporations can exert over government decisions.

When questioned about the report, President Emmanuel Macron denied any understanding or collusion between himself and Nestle, stating that he knew nothing about these things. However, this does little to assuage concerns about the government's priorities and willingness to prioritize corporate interests over those of consumers.

Nestle has responded to criticism by stating that it regularly holds talks with authorities overseeing its businesses. Any requests made to authorities are on public record, according to the company.

This controversy highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in government decision-making processes. It also raises important questions about the impact of corporate influence on policy decisions and the priorities of those in power.

Keywords Nestle, bottled water, France, micro-filters, corporate influence, government decision-making

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.