Smelly water: fecal bacteria found in elite French mineral water

Nestle was forced to destroy 2 million bottles of Perrier mineral water. Fecal bacteria were found in the well from which water was collected. The French publication Le Monde writes about this.

The incident occurred in the Gard department in the south of France. The manufacturer believes the contamination at the source was the result of heavy rains caused by Hurricane Monica, which hit the department a month ago.

Local authorities reported that one of the seven water intakes from March 10, 2024, was contaminated for several days with microorganisms: Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, so its operation was banned.

This is not the first such case. In 2021, the springs where water was collected for the Hépar, Contrex and Vittel brands were contaminated with bacteria and chemicals. The manufacturer tried to hide traces of contamination using activated carbon, using microfiltration and ultraviolet filters, which is prohibited by EU laws.