France's 'Water-Gate' Is Shaking Up the Bottled Water Industry

France's bottled water giants are facing a reckoning, with the spotlight on whether labels like Perrier can still claim the title "natural mineral water." The controversy follows media reports that a third of mineral water sold in France had been quietly filtered to remove contaminants, a process prohibited by EU rules if the water is to earn that "natural mineral water" label. The revelations—dubbed "Water-gate" by one investigator—have raised questions about industrial practices and government oversight, as well as the impact of climate change on water purity, reports the BBC.

Climate shifts and persistent droughts have stressed deep aquifers, particularly in southern France, where Perrier sources its water. Hydrologists say these changes are allowing farm chemicals and other contaminants to seep deeper underground, forcing companies to treat water to maintain quality. That, in turn, undermines the core marketing promise that mineral water is pure and untouched, justifying its premium price over tap water. "This is part of a longer trend of growing threats to groundwater," climate scientist Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute research center, told the New York Times in May. "It's becoming harder and harder to find waters safe from contamination."

Making things even more difficult is an ongoing probe into alleged collusion between Perrier's parent company, Nestle, and government officials, who are accused of covering up contamination and changing rules to allow micro-filtration. A Senate inquiry concluded there'd been a deliberate official strategy to keep damaging information out of public view.

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Nestle's CEO admitted to using banned treatment methods and acknowledged that a hydrologists' report had advised against renewing mineral water status for Perrier's historic source. The company insists its water remains "100% pure" and disputes claims of deep aquifer contamination. Pending a government ruling, Perrier has shifted to a filtration method agreed upon with regulators and is focusing on new, treated drinks that don't require the mineral water label. A final decision on the iconic status for Perrier, which the Guardian notes has been dubbed by some as the "champagne of table waters," is expected later this year.