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The French government covered up a scandal over illegal filtering treatments of mineral water by food giant Nestle, a report revealed Monday.
According to an investigation by the French Senate cited by Türkiye's state-owned Anadolu Agency, the government allowed Nestle to use prohibited treatments to produce natural mineral waters, including the iconic Perrier brand, which was acquired by the Swiss food and drinks conglomerate in the early 1990s.
"In addition to Nestle Waters' lack of transparency, it is important to highlight the state's lack of transparency, both towards local and European authorities and towards the French people," said the Senate report, according to France 24.
The report, which came following a six-month-long Senate inquiry involving more than 70 hearings, said: "This concealment is part of a deliberate strategy, addressed at the first interministerial meeting on natural mineral waters on October 14, 2021."
The Senate investigation also highlighted that transparency has still not been achieved after nearly four years.
Last year, a joint investigation by Le Monde and Radio France revealed that France's bottled water plants widely used fraudulent purifying techniques.
It also showed that the French government had been aware of this since 2021.
The Senate report came following a parliamentary inquiry by Senator Alexandre Ouizille into the practices of the French water industry.
The report also noted that it was “at the highest level” of government that the decision to authorize microfiltration below the 0.8 micron threshold was taken.
"The presidency knew, at least since 2022, that Nestle had been cheating for years," it added, according to France 24.
Politico reported that Ouizille said during a news conference Monday that President Emmanuel Macron's former chief of staff, Alexis Kohler, had "on several occasions met" with Nestle lobbyists and that "at the very least, the Elysee was aware of what was happening."
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