This “French Watergate” which splashes Nestlé and the State

Owned by the Swiss multinational Nestlé Waters, the Perrier brand “has long been called the ‘ champagne of table waters ,’” recalls The Guardian . But “the world-famous French sparkling water,” which is “traditionally served with ice and a slice of lemon,” is now at the center of a scandal that allegedly goes back to the heart of the state. On Monday, May 19, after a six-month investigation following revelations by several French media outlets, including Radio France and Mediapart, about the Swiss company’s mineral water fraud, the Senate released a report revealing that “the ‘highest levels’ of the French state had been alerted,” the British newspaper reports.

But, beyond simply knowing about Nestlé Waters' illegal practices—which used UV and carbon water filtration systems to purify contaminated mineral water—the Senate report found that French authorities had covered up a scandal involving the illegal filtering of prestigious brands, such as Perrier, the London daily said. The government is accused of allowing the sale of these filtered bottles despite current regulations.

In fact, European standards stipulate that water sold as mineral and natural “which sells for between 100 and 400 times more than tap water – must be naturally treated and