Police raid on Nestlé's bottled water in France

In France, police have searched the Nestlé Group's headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux on the grounds that the company used prohibited purification systems for its bottled water. As part of the investigation conducted by the Public Health Unit of the Paris Judicial Court, the seized documents will be subjected to a detailed examination.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVESTIGATION

This investigation was launched after the non-governmental organization Foodwatch filed two separate complaints against the Nestlé Group in September 2024. A report published by the newspaper Le Monde and Radio France in January 2024 alleged that former Minister of Industry Agnès Pannier-Runacher had permitted Nestlé to use prohibited purification systems.

The Senate launched a commission inquiry into this matter on November 20, 2024. Senate Inquiry Commission President Laurent Burgoa stated that the Nestlé Group had contacted the French Presidency multiple times. Burgoa alleged that the Secretary-General of the Presidency, Alexis Kohler, had followed a portion of this file and facilitated Nestlé's communication with the Presidency. However, Kohler refused to attend the Senate's invitation, citing the principle of separation of powers.

News Source: 12punto