France, Feb. 14 -- A French magistrate has opened a fraud inquiry into mineral water giants Nestle and Sources Alma over suspicions of illegal processing of water, it was revealed on Friday.

It is understood themove comes in defiance of a recommendation to stop investigating the companies.

The inquiry follows formal complaints made by the Foodwatch watchdog against Nestle Waters - whose brands include Perrier, Contrex and Vittel - and Sources Alma, France's biggest mineral water producer.

Foodwatch has led moves to highlight the production methods of the firms in recent years. Foodwatch accuses the companies of misleading consumers over the water in the latest complaint taken up by the magistrate.

On 4 February, an investigation condu...