Ophélie Artaud 2:00 p.m., February 1, 2024
A preliminary investigation for deception was opened on Wednesday against the Nestlé Waters group, which allegedly used prohibited treatments to make its water drinkable. A case that revives the eternal debate: is it better to consume bottled water or tap water? Because, if both are controlled, they each face specific problems.
Have the bottled mineral waters of the Nestlé Waters group in Épinal undergone illegal treatment? This is what the Epinal public prosecutor's office will seek to find out, which has opened a preliminary investigation for deception against the world number one mineral water company, after the publication of an investigation by Le
Monde
and Radio France . According to the two media, which published extracts from a report from the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (Igas), "30% of French brands resort to non-compliant treatments to continue to sell water initially unsuitable for the consumption". Among these practices, the use of ultraviolet or activated carbon filters to purify water from metal residues, pesticides or bacteria. A case which could once again shake consumer confidence, and relaunch the eternal debate: is it better to choose bottled water, or tap water?
>> READ ALSO -
Nestlé admits having used prohibited treatments on mineral water
Eternal pollutants in tap water
Tap water also faces a lot of mistrust. However, it is extremely controlled, as explained by UFC Que-Choisir. “Fifty-four different parameters are monitored and regularly checked” by the Health and Environment centers of the Regional Health Agencies (ARS). Added to this is other monitoring carried out by processing plants and distribution networks. Tap water, however, can face particular problems.
>> READ ALSO -
Climate change: public policies on water resources must be “strengthened”, according to a report
Last December, for example, users in several districts of Bordeaux noticed that the water had a strange color: Eau Bordeaux Métropole quickly advised against drinking it until analyzes were carried out. Things were back to normal the next day, and the situation was linked to heavy rain, according to the Water Authority. More problematic, on January 15, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ARS published analyzes confirming that the water intended for the consumption of more than 160,000 inhabitants contained PFAS, or “eternal pollutants”. If the consumption of this water is not prohibited, the municipalities concerned will have to provide solutions within the next three years.
Nanoparticles in bottled water
Like tap water, bottled water must also meet numerous standards and is often controlled. The UFC Que-Choisir distinguishes mineral waters "which are subject to specific standards and can reach contents which are not tolerated for drinking water", such as the level of fluoride, calcium, magnesium... in depending on the benefits it advances. For their part, spring water is subject to the same regulations as tap water. But both “must not undergo disinfection treatments”, recalls UFC Que-Choisir.
However, bottled waters also face questions. On January 8, the American scientific journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
published a study affirming that these waters are contaminated by significant plastic pollution. According to scientists, different brands of bottles contain up to 240,000 micro- and nanoplastic fragments per liter, which can have consequences for the health of consumers.
Tap water, more economical and ecological
If bottled water like that of the tap is extremely monitored, “it is today difficult to guarantee water free of any pollution”, writes UFC-Que Choisir. So what water is best to consume? The ecological question can help us decide: tap water has much less environmental consequences, compared to bottled water, which produces plastic waste and requires polluting transport. Also, tap water is much cheaper, at "€0.003 per liter on average, or not even 2 euros per year for a consumption of 1.5 liters of tap water per day", according to the UFC -What to choose. For comparison, the price of bottled water is on average 0.40 cents per liter. Which does not prevent 51% of French people from consuming bottled water daily, according to figures from the Water Information Center.