Hundreds of pallets of Perrier destroyed: why the prefect of Gard asked Nestlé to close one of the wells in Vergèze

L’usine de Vergèze (Gard) contrainte par le préfet de fermer l’un de ses puits. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

One of the eight boreholes at the Vergèze plant was contaminated by bacteria making the water unfit for consumption. The prefect of Gard ordered the cessation of its exploitation. Nestlé Waters wants to reassure.

The latest Mediterranean episode, storm Monica, had consequences on the site of the Perrier factory in Vergèze, forcing it to destroy several hundred pallets of bottles.

Following these very heavy rains, one of the eight wells on the Gard site was indeed found to be contaminated by bacteria. and the prefect of Gard ordered, in a decree dated April 19, the cessation of its exploitation.

The drilling in question presented "an episode of contamination from March 10 and over several days by germs witnessing contamination of’ fecal origin (coliforms, escherichia coll) but also by germs of the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa".

Perrier production is impacted by climatic episodes. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

"We conduct in-depth tests daily with more than 700 analyzes on this site", assures Nestlé Waters, owner of the brand. " Our analyzes detected a specific deviation from one of our wells. We immediately implemented the planned protocol, which has now become an integral part of our quality management procedure. Additional analyzes were initiated, under the control of the authorities, which led to the immediate suspension of the operation of this well and the destruction, as a precaution, of several batches of bottles."

Flavored waters

The multinational has initiated a vast transformation plan for its Vergèze factory, setting up the manufacture of a new product, flavored waters under the Maison Perrier brand, whose global launch is currently under development.

If this revolution in the history of the brand is motivated by a marketing ambition (this segment is growing very strongly, particularly among young people), it also allows Nestlé Waters to establish itself ;adapt to the fact that two of Perrier's eight wells can no longer produce natural mineral water, as described in the regulations.

Monitoring

The controversy over the use, until 2021, of activated carbon and UV filters, which affected Perrier like other Nestlé waters (Contrex , Hépar…) has barely extinguished, when the group is once again forced to defuse a crisis. "A reinforced monitoring process on this well was initiated, at the request of the authorities, in order to carry out all the required checks over a longer period. The return to operation of this well will be considered by the authorities following these checks. Tall bottles made available to our customers and consumers can be consumed in complete safety, assures Nestlé Waters which also recognizes reinforced monitoring procedures "in a context where the effects of climate change are increasingly marked."< /p>

In his decree, the prefect of Gard mentions monitoring of the quality of raw water "which can go up to 12 months&quot ;. On April 11, the Senate launched a parliamentary information mission which intends " shed light on the failures of the State" in terms of controlling bottled water manufacturers.

I subscribe to read more