In the Gard, the prefecture orders Perrier to "withdraw" its microfiltration system within two months

Perrier's future is more in danger than ever. On Wednesday, May 7, the Gard prefect, Jérôme Bonet, formally ordered Nestlé Waters Supply Sud to remove the 0.2-micron filters from its Perrier site in Vergèze (Gard) within two months. "Analysis by the Occitanie Regional Health Agency (ARS) shows that these treatments alter the microbiological characteristics of the water, in contradiction with the regulations applicable to the production of natural mineral water," the press release states. Regarding the authorization to continue operating five boreholes from this source for "the production of natural mineral water" (in other words, bottles bearing the Perrier label), the investigation "continues." "In accordance with the Public Health Code, the Gard prefect must make a decision before August 7," the prefecture specifies.

The government representative has therefore decided to grant the Swiss multinational a reprieve after hydrogeologists issued a negative opinion in April regarding the exploitation of the Vergèze spring as natural mineral water. This recommendation, which jeopardizes the future of the sparkling water brand, had been announced