Is Perrier “natural mineral water”? French justice decides on Tuesday in the case of the scandal surrounding the well-known brand

A French court will decide on Tuesday whether Perrier must withdraw its bottled water from sale after consumer protection group UFC-Que Choisir requested an emergency intervention over what it says is misleading marketing of the brand as “natural” mineral water, Reuters reports.

The organisation's legal action is just the latest development in an ongoing scandal surrounding the Nestle-owned brand, after French media reported last year that Perrier and many other mineral water producers were illegally treating water to prevent contamination.

Nestlé Waters lobbied the French government, including people close to French President Emmanuel Macron, to make it possible to sell branded mineral water even though it bypassed France's strict regulations, effectively misleading consumers, according to a May Senate report on the scandal ironically dubbed “Watergate” at the Élysée Palace.

Nestle said it regrets using the treatments and has stopped using them, switching instead to microfiltration, which the company says is safe and does not alter the mineral composition of its water.

“They are not natural mineral waters,” states UFC-Que Choisir

However, UFC-Que Choisir claims that microfiltration is another type of treatment that has not been approved by the authorities and, given its use to remove contaminants, suggests that there could be a potential health risk.

“Perrier waters labeled as 'natural mineral waters' are not natural. Nestle has used and continues to use illegal treatments for this category of water,” UFC-Que Choisir said in June when it referred the case to court.

“We strongly dispute all of UFC Que Choisir's claims,” ​​a spokesman for Nestle Waters France said ahead of the ruling, expected this afternoon at Nanterre's judicial tribunal.

Famous for its teardrop-shaped green bottles, Perrier has been produced from spring water in the south of France since the late 19th century and marketed worldwide. Nestle's Waters division has owned the brand since 1992.

In July, Nestle ditched 0.2 micron microfiltration at its Vergeze plant at the request of local authorities and replaced it with a 0.45 micron device, which it already uses for Vittel water and which has been discussed with authorities

.The new filtration system is part of a larger file awaiting the approval of the local authorities for the continuation of mineral water production at Vergeze.