Nestlé Crushes Two Million Perrier Drinks Due to Contamination

Due to contamination, Nestle smashes two million bottles of its popular Perrier bottled carbonated mineral water. The French public health agency ordered the Swiss food and drink giant to destroy the products after they were suspected to be contaminated with "fecal" bacteria.

According to Le Monde, Nestle received a formal notice last week and ordered immediately suspending operations at one of its water extraction facilities. The company has seven sites, and the one in question is located in Vergèze, which sits in the southern part of France.

Nestle’s Compliance with the Health Agency’s Order

On Wednesday this week, the local Franceinfo radio station and Le Monde contacted Nestlé Waters to learn more about the government health agency's order. The company informed them it had destroyed about two million Perrier bottles as ordered.

Nestle Waters continued to explain that it complied as a “precautionary measure" after fecal bacteria was discovered in one of the wells where Nestle is sourcing water for its Perrier mineral water product. The company said the contamination may have happened due to heavy rainfall during the storm “Monica,” which landed in the area in March.

Perrier Contamination: A Big Blow to the Company

The local health agency in the Occitanie region in France asked Nestle Waters France to stop producing its Perrier brand in the contaminated site and eliminate all bottled water processed from March 10 to March 14.

Meanwhile, although this is just a short period, it is a big blow for Nestle Waters. France24 reported that this greatly hit the company as it is still under a criminal investigation for allegedly engaging in illegal means of purifying its mineral water.

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