STRASBOURG, France, Jan 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Nestle Waters has been given the go-ahead to market its four French brands as "natural mineral water", despite the use of filters before bottling.

In two orders dated December 23, 2025, the prefect of the Vosges region in northeastern France authorised the company to install filters for its Contrex and Hepar brands.

Two of the Swiss food giant's other brands, Vittel and Perrier, have previously been allowed to do the same.

Nestle Waters France said it welcomed the decision in a statement sent to AFP on Friday.

Nestle Waters admitted in 2025 that it had previously used banned treatments for its products, prompting changes to its use of microfiltration.

But its competitors and consumer groups argued that doing so was not compatible with the premium "natural mineral water" label.

"We're in the process of turning the bottling of natural mineral water into the bottling of drinking water that's still being called mineral water," said Jean-Francois Fleck, from the Eau 88 group in the Vosges.

The regional authorities said it allowed the filtration on condition that it "does not alter the natural mineral water in its essential constituents and is not intended to modify the microbiological characteristics of the water".

It ordered Nestle Waters to monitor the presence of micro-organisms in the water before and after each filtration point for one year.