Do you remember the Nestlé water scandal contaminated by PFAS, pesticides and bacteria? We talked about it in several articles in recent months, but now a sensational twist arrives.
A few days ago, Radio France and the Monde made public A new investigation that accuses Nestlé to have exerted pressure on the French government to obtain permission to market illegally filtered water.
According to what emerged, the Swiss multinational would have pushed, through lobbying activities, to obtain authorization to continue bottling and marketing water Using a prohibited microfiltration system, a treatment deemed dangerous for health and already banned by the health authorities starting from January 2023.
The investigation accuses some representatives of the French government of having granted Nestlé exemptions to continue the use of microfilters under 0.8 micromes, despite the official recommendations to suspend the bottling of water due to sanitary risks.
It was the general manager of Health, Jérôme Salomon, in a document of January 20, 2023, to recommend an immediate suspension of the production and bottling of water from Nestlé, but despite these indications, in April of the same year, the French government allowed the company to permit to continue using controversial treatment.
The Monde and Radio France revealed that, following discussions between the representatives of Nestlé and Alexis Kohler, secretary general of the Elysée, the authorization for the use of microfilters was granted.
This information emerged from a series of documents, including ministerial notes, e-mail exchanges, health champions results and factories inspection reports, which would testify how the government has favored Nestlé’s interests at the expense of public health.
Very serious accusations and a truly ugly situation that makes you think once again on the weight of the lobbies in government decisions, which is always serious and in any case but even more in such a delicate sector as that of food safety.
Reactions
Asked by the authors of the investigation, the Elisabeth Borne’s entourage, at the time prime minister, and Bruno Le Maire, then Minister of Economy, denied being aware of the reports and internal alarms.
However, the Elisee did not deny the meeting between the representatives of Nestlé and some presidential councilors. The links between Emmanuel Macron and the multinational dates back to a long time ago: when he was a banker of investment, the current President of the Republic earned 1 million euros by managing a negotiation for Nestlé and was offered a place in the management of the group in France.
But, questioned on the story, President Macron said he was not aware of the details regarding microfiltration methodsclaiming that the government had no role in managing these practices.
However, the accusations of “collusion” between the government and Nestlé have not been completely and clearly denied.
For his part, Nestlé said that his activities have always been transparent and in accordance with current regulations, specifying that all communications and requests have been regularly made public.
The investigations continue
The story triggered several investigations by associations such as Foodwatch and CLCV, who denounced not only the fraud against consumers, but also the potential risk to public health. The request for exemplary sanctions becomes more and more pressing and foodwatch now asks for a process to establish responsibilities and to stop incorrect practices in a sector that concerns global food safety.
This investigation raises a disturbing doubt about how large companies can influence politics and regulations in order to protect their interests, also to the detriment of public health.
