French authorities set new conditions on Nestle's Perrier production

By Dominique ‌Patton

PARIS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - France's southern Gard department has authorised Nestle ‍to ‌continue using two of the wells that supply its Perrier mineral water ⁠but requested enhanced safety and ‌quality checks amid growing scrutiny of mineral waters produced in the country in more challenging environmental conditions.

Nestle had submitted a new request for approval in the ⁠summer after changing its filtration device for the bottled water.

The Gard authorities ruled that Nestle ​must submit within the next 12 months an ‌additional study on the impact ⁠of the filtration on the water's microbiome, according to a statement issued on Friday.

They also requested enhanced safety checks on the water ​for a two-year period, after which the company must submit a review of the water quality.

Three other wells that Nestle had stopped using will no longer be allowed to produce Perrier mineral water.

"This decision ​by ‍the local authority serves as ​recognition of our teams’ hard work over the past four years to modernise our site, adapt to growing environmental challenges, strengthen our commitment to protecting our resource and respond flexibly to market changes and consumers’ expectations," said a spokesperson for Nestle Waters France.

Perrier has been under scrutiny ⁠for months since French media reported last year that the brand and many other mineral water producers ​had been using illegal water treatments to prevent contamination. Nestle switched instead to microfiltration, which it says is safe and does not alter the water's mineral composition.

Nestle withdrew a 0.2 ‌micron microfiltration device in July after a request from local authorities, replacing it with a 0.45 micron device.

(Reporting by Dominique PattonEditing by David Goodman)