The system set up by France to control bottled water is marred by "serious shortcomings" and does not guarantee the absence of fraudulent products on the shelves, the European Commission said in an audit published on Wednesday.
Brussels initiated the procedure following press reports in January of possible infringements in the natural mineral water sector, and organised a ten-day mission in March.
According to its conclusions, there is indeed in France a system for controlling natural mineral waters and spring waters with adequate procedures and laboratory testing capacities.
But "as a whole, the official control system does not effectively verify that natural mineral waters placed on the market meet the legal requirements in force," the audit said.
The system "is not designed to detect or mitigate fraud in the natural mineral water and spring water sector and is also not properly implemented, which makes it possible for non-compliant and potentially fraudulent products to be present on the market," it added.
The audit deplores in particular inspections that are insufficiently targeted at high-risk sites and not frequent enough, as well as "inadequate collaboration within and between the competent authorities".
It also highlights "the absence of immediate follow-up measures" to "guarantee that operators remedy non-conformities such as the use of prohibited treatments" or to "avoid the marketing of natural mineral waters which are not qualified as such".
A French subsidiary of the Swiss agri-food giant Nestlé - which sources water for the Perrier, Vittel, Hepar and Contrex brands in France - admitted at the end of January to having used prohibited disinfection treatments (UV lamp, activated carbon) on mineral waters to maintain their "food safety".
A preliminary investigation for deception has been opened by the Epinal public prosecutor's office against Nestle Waters.
The Alma group, which produces around thirty brands of bottled water in France, has for its part been the subject of an administrative procedure. The latter concerns "old and isolated facts relating to regulatory non-conformities", the company indicated without giving further details, stating only that it "does not concern the use of prohibited treatments on contaminated mineral waters".
The consumer association Foodwatch, which has filed a complaint against Nestle, Sources Alma and also the government, which it accuses of "complacency", said in a statement on Wednesday that the audit "confirms what it denounces in every scandal: opacity for consumers, lack of control by the authorities and impunity for multinationals".
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