Nestlé’s headquarters was raided over a bottled water scandal

A search was conducted at the headquarters of Nestlé in France in connection with an investigation related to the “bottled water case.”

According to the newspaper Ouest-France, the police carried out investigative actions in Issy-les-Moulineaux, where the headquarters of the Nestlé Group is located.

The seized materials will be examined as part of an investigation launched in February by the Paris Public Health Court following complaints filed in September 2024 by the organization Foodwatch.

The scandal erupted after a joint investigation by Le Monde and Radio France published in January 2024 alleged that former Minister of Industry Agnès Pannier-Runacher allowed Nestlé to use banned water purification technologies.

In November 2024, the Senate initiated a parliamentary investigation into the matter. Among those invited to the hearings was Alexis Kohler, former chief of staff of the Élysée Palace.

According to the chairman of the commission, Laurent Burgoa, Nestlé repeatedly contacted the presidential administration, and Kohler allegedly facilitated these contacts. However, he refused to attend the hearing, citing the principle of separation of powers.

According to the final report of the Senate commission published in May, French authorities allegedly altered one of the reports in favor of Nestlé during the investigation of the scandal.