An influential consumer rights association has urged a court to ban the sale of Perrier bottled water in France, saying the brand's claim that its product is "natural" was misleading. UFC-Que Choisir, which lodged its request with a court in Nanterre, near Paris, said the Nestlé-owned Perrier brand should be banned temporarily from selling its sparkling water and be ordered to stop its "dishonest" description of the water.
Joseph Priestley discovered a reliable method for infusing water with carbon dioxide in 1767, leading to the creation of industrialized sparkling water. His findings initiated the modern soft drink industry.