Perrier mineral water not as pure as advertised, class action claims

Perrier pure mineral water class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Kevin O’Rourke filed a Perrier class action lawsuit against Nestle USA Inc.
• Why: Nestle allegedly misleads consumers about the purity of its Perrier mineral water.
• Where: The Perrier class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court. 

Nestle USA Inc. markets Perrier mineral water as being pure water “captured at the source in France” without disclosing it uses filters to modify the water’s composition, a recent Perrier class action lawsuit claims.

Plaintiff Kevin O’Rourke says he purchased Perrier mineral water because he believed the product to be natural mineral water, not subjected to treatment processes typically associated with lower quality water.

The Perrier mineral water label reportedly describes the product as “Sparkling Natural Mineral Water” that is “captured at the source in France” with images of naturally-occuring bubbles from the Perrier spring.

However, Nestle’s underground water source is no longer protected and may be contaminated by bacteria and pollutants requiring treatment, the Nestle class action alleges.

Nestle misled investigators about Perrier mineral water treatment, plaintiff alleges

In 2020, a whistleblower associated with a mineral water bottling company reported unauthorized practices to a French agency. The agency investigated and reportedly found extensive practices inconsistent with regulations for the sale of mineral water, including Perrier mineral water.

The inspectors allegedly found that they were “deliberately misled during previous inspections” at Nestle plants and a magistrate subsequently found that Nestle’s mineral water lost its status as natural mineral water, and concluded Nestle’s conduct “amounts to deception.”

The federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act follows the European standard of quality for mineral water, specifying that mineral water must originate “from a geologically and physically protected underground water source” and is “distinguished by other types of water by its constant level and relative proportions of minerals and trace elements at the point of emergence from the source,” according to the Perrier class action. 

New York has also adopted these standards, O’Rourke says.

O’Rourke alleges the Perrier pure mineral water products are misbranded because they do not conform to the standard of identity for mineral water.

“None of the treatment methods applied are necessary when mineral water originates from a protected underground source,” according to the Perrier class action.

O’Rourke filed the Perrier class action lawsuit on behalf of a proposed class of persons in New York who purchased Perrier pure mineral water in New York during the applicable statute of limitations period.

A judge recently dismissed a separate Perrier class action lawsuit alleging Nestle misleads consumers about how much lime is in its Perrier beverages.

Have you ever purchased Perrier pure mineral water? Tell us what you think about the Perrier class action allegations in the comments.

O’Rourke is represented by Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates PC.

The Perrier pure mineral water class action lawsuit is Kevin O’Rourke v. Nestle USA Inc., Case No. 2:24-cv-01607, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Central Islip.

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