Nestlé Waters has been fined €533,000 for having used activated carbon filters on its Henniez bottled mineral water, Swiss public prosecutors announced on Wednesday, June 25. The attorney general of western Switzerland's Vaud canton – where Nestlé has its headquarters, and where Henniez water is sourced – accused the global food giant's bottled water division of "misleading consumers" by having "natural mineral water" on the label between 2008 and 2022.
"In doing so, the attorney general believes that the company obtained economic advantages by not complying with its legal labelling obligations," a statement said, announcing the fine.
In France, Nestlé's bottled waters – which include the iconic Perrier brand – have been at the centre of a scandal since early 2024 regarding the use of micro-filtration processes. Banned for mineral waters, these processes were used by several producers, including Nestlé, as revealed by Le Monde and Radio France. Shortly afterwards, Swiss newspaper Le Temps revealed that the Nestlé Waters had also used carbon filters in the Henniez brand's factory in Switzerland.
The attorney general's office said that during a 2020 inspection, it was discovered that the Henniez plant was using an activated carbon filtration process. The company was given until the end of 2022 to remove the carbon filter system. A follow-up inspection in March 2023 confirmed that the filter had indeed been decommissioned. However, the consumer office filed a complaint with the cantonal public prosecutors, accusing Nestlé Waters of concealing its use of the carbon filter.
In 2024, Nestlé water brands generated sales of €3.4 billion.