Millions of Perrier bottles blocked in south of France over bacteria concerns
Anomalies found at plant in Gard
The reports of contamination add to a long record of previous issues at the site
Aria sandi hasim/Shutterstock
Production at Perrier’s Vergèze site in the Gard has come under renewed scrutiny after millions of bottles were held back following repeated bacteriological anomalies.
Around 4 million bottles are currently blocked at the plant, with further lots under investigation according to ARS Occitanie.
Figures obtained by Radio France show that between April 30 and November 28 the company isolated 9,534 palettes for non-conformity. Most were later cleared, but 34 palettes were destroyed.
Since May, Radio France reports 27 alerts, including detections of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in raw-water samples.
Production at two of the plant’s wells was halted at the end of November, one after electrical failure and the other after detection of P. aeruginosa in raw water, according to ARS documentation.
It resumed on November 28 under ARS supervision. Nestlé, which owns Perrier, says its verification tests confirm that all marketed bottles remain safe.
The rise in anomalies follows a May prefectural order requiring Nestlé to remove fine microfilters not authorised for water sold as eau minérale naturelle.
Under French rules, mineral water must be naturally pure and cannot undergo treatments considered equivalent to disinfection.
Since the order, the plant has relied on broader 0.45-micron filtration, which is also not covered by its current authorisation, the prefecture said.
The ARS has warned that Perrier must provide 12 consecutive months of compliant, untreated water in order to retain its mineral-water status.
An ARS opinion issued in April was unfavourable. A second report, delivered on December 3 and described by the ARS as “favourable with conditions”, is now being reviewed by the prefecture and its CoDERST (Council for Environment, Health, and Technological Risks) advisory panel.
Continuing problems
The situation adds to a long record of previous contamination issues at the site.
A senate report published in May found evidence of internal contamination events at Vergèze from 2020 onwards.
In 2024, three million bottles were destroyed after faecal-origin bacteria were confirmed, according to Nestlé’s declarations to the authorities.
A further 300,000 bottles were blocked in April 2025 after enterobacteria were detected.
A court action by consumer group UFC-Que Choisir seeking an emergency halt to production was rejected in November by the Nanterre tribunal, which ruled that no imminent health risk had been demonstrated.
Vergèze is the sole global source of Perrier and employs around 1,000 people.
