Spotlight

Nestlé is ranked the second largest food and drink company in the world. The company operates 436 factories in 85 countries, and has business operations in 189 countries. Nestlé is also one of the world’s leading companies for coffee (Nescafé) and one of the world’s top bottled water makers (Nestlé Waters), one of the biggest frozen pizza makers (DiGiorno), and a big player in the pet food business (Friskies, Purina). Nestlé’s most well-known global food brands include Buitoni, Dreyer’s, Maggi, Milkmaid, Carnation, and Kit Kat. The company also owns Gerber Products. Nestlé operates several joint ventures, including Cereal Partners Worldwide with General Mills, and Beverage Partners Worldwide with Coke. Nestlé also owns approximately 30% of cosmetics giant L’Oréal. The company reported CHF 130.38 billion/ ± $132.4 billion in total assets and CHF 44.86 billion/ ± $45.93 billion in gross profit for fiscal year 2017.

Nestlé owns over 2,000 product brands around the world.
To boost the company’s presence in China, Nestlé acquired a 60% stake in Chinese food maker Yinlu Foods Group, expanding its instant food offering in a key growth market. The deal put Nestlé at the helm of China’s second-largest confectionery, and the purchase ranked as one of the largest foreign takeovers of a Chinese company.
In late 2012, Nestlé purchased Pfizer’s nutrition business for about $11.8 billion in cash. About 85% of Pfizer’s nutrition sales come from emerging markets, such as Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Nestlé has caused much controversy over its takeover of water resources around the US as it has sought to purchase resources for much less than what local residents pay for water. For example, Nestlé attempted to make a deal in McCloud, California, where it would have paid about 1 cent to extract and bottle every 123 gallons of the area’s groundwater, about $0.000081 per gallon. In contrast, the average state rate for municipal use of groundwater is 1 cent per 40 gallons. Meanwhile, Nestlé can sell this water in a 16-ounce bottle for around $1.29, or $10.32 per gallon.
A Dutch group, the Changing Markets Foundation, published a research report in 2018 examining Nestlé’s credibility regarding its baby formula, and concluded that “…Nestlé is not driven by nutritional science but instead by a sharp and prioritized focus on profit and growth at the expense of infants and their parents.” The company initially came under fire in the 1970s for its baby formula marketing practices, and was accused of discouraging mothers, particularly in developing countries who couldn’t use the product properly (i.e. not having access to clean water), from breast-feeding, encouraging women to substitute breastmilk with Nestlé formula.
Since 2005, Nestlé and Cargill have been embroiled in an ongoing lawsuit filed by a leading human rights watchdog and civil rights firm, charging the companies of trafficking, torture, and forced child labor. According to the lawsuit, in the 1990s, the six plaintiffs were kidnapped from Mali as children and sold to cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast. They were forced to work 14-hour days six days a week without pay, lived in deplorable conditions, and were tortured. This is a historic case by allowing formerly enslaved individuals to sue in the US courts over human rights abuses that took place outside of the US. What’s more, the case has the ability to reverse years of US Supreme Court rulings which continue to shield corporations, such as Chevron, Coca-Cola and others, from accountability. If the case doesn’t get thrown out, other companies might face lawsuits over misdeeds and abuses.
In 2017 Nestlé, along with PepsiCo and Unilever, were accused by the Rainforest Action Network of illegal rainforest destruction in Sumatra, Indonesia, for palm oil plantations.
In 2015, Nestlé admitted to the abuse of migrant labor in its seafood supply chain in Thailand, where migrant workers are sold or lured by false promises to work in unregulated working conditions to catch and process seafood including fish and shrimp. Nestlé’s involvement with the Thai seafood sector is primarily for its Purina brand cat food.

At a Glance

Founded

1866, Switzerland

Headquarters

Vevey, Switzerland

Corporation Type

Intermediary; Public

Number of Employees

323,000

Major Industries

Food Processing; Beverages

Total Revenue

CHF 89.79 billion/ ± $91.2 billion for FY 2017

Activity Map

Explore the map to discover where this corporation operates around the globe.

Blue: Active Countries

Industries

Find out which food-related industries this corporation is involved with–from food production to consumption.

R&D

According to Nestlé, the company has the largest R&D network of any food company in the world, with 34 R&D facilities (3 Science & Research centers and 31 Product Technology Centers and R&D centers worldwide), and over 5,000 people involved in R&D.

Behind each of Nestlé’s products there is a team of scientists, engineers, nutritionists, designers, regulatory specialists and consumer care representatives, which as according to Nestlé, are dedicated to earning their consumers’ trust with safe products of the highest quality.

R&D: Plant Science

Nestlé is investing in Plant Science R&D to help farmers produce their crops in a way that ensures their long-term economic future and preserves the environment. Nestlé works through a network of R&D centers, together with Nestlé agronomists in producing countries, and in close coordination with national agricultural institutes, private partners, and local governments. The company’s activities are centered around:

Plant selection and breeding to offer a better choice of plant varieties to farmers
In vitro research to preserve genetic diversity and deliver better plants to farmers
Ways to improve the traceability of raw materials from farm to fork
Developing a consumer-centric understanding of the quality of raw materials and how they impact our products
Helping farmers through practices that improve productivity, crop quality, and environmental protection

R&D: Nestle Nutrition Council

The Nestlé Nutrition Council (NNC) is an independent advisory panel made up of leading international nutrition scientists. It is instrumental in advising and challenging the reviews of our research programs. The Council considers and advises the senior management team on nutrition challenges and their potential impact on Nestlé’s policies and strategy. It also organizes the Annual Nestlé International Nutrition Symposium. The Council is chaired by the Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, Stefan Catsicas, and meets twice a year.

R&D: Technology

Nestlé asserts that technologies are a vital part of their R&D. They have engineers working in R&D in a variety of fields – from packaging and equipment to food processing technologies and manufacturing new beverage systems such as Nespresso, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Special. T, and BabyNes.

Alongside engineers, Nestlé claims that their food scientists develop processes and technologies that enable the development of safe, nutritious foods and beverages while keeping us on the cusp of new developments in food science and technology. Nestlé claims to have developed, and/or is a world-leader in a large number of different technologies. These include:

Fermentation and probiotics: The Nestlé Research Centre was one of the first to look at the molecular interaction of probiotics with intestinal cells. We have sequenced several probiotic genomes so that we can better understand their characteristics and mechanisms of action.

Extrusion: We have strong expertise in hot extrusion (eg. infant and breakfast cereals), co-extrusion (eg. filled bars and snacks) and cold extrusion (eg. ice-cream and chocolate).

Healthier fats: We have also developed technologies that allow us to use natural vegetable oils instead of partially hydrogenated fats in our Maggi bouillon cubes and seasonings.

Foam booster technology: This produces the creamy head for Nescafé Cappuccino, with less fat, and which is much denser and longer-lasting than regular foam. In 2002 Nestlé relaunched Nescafé Cappuccino with new foaming mix products, which was created using foam booster technology.

Malt extraction: Nestlé has developed a new process for malt extraction for Milo that meant less sucrose and more complex carbohydrates in the product. It was launched in Malaysia in 2006, and in 2007 it was rolled out across Asia.

Portion dispensing systems: This is essential for Nestlé’s beverage systems.

Nutrition, Health, and Wellness

According to Nestlé, they are the world’s largest private nutrition and food research organization, and they claim they are committed to creating nutritional value and health benefits across our product range.

Food Manufacturing

Companies engaged in producing food products from livestock and agricultural products.

Confectionery Manufacturing

This industry consists of units mainly engaged in manufacturing confectionery, chocolate or cocoa products, with or without sugar.

Manufacture of cocoa, chocolate, and sugar confectionery

This industry includes the manufacturing of cocoa, cocoa butter, cocoa fat, cocoa oil, the manufacturing of chocolate and chocolate confectionery, the manufacturing of sugar confectionery: caramels, cachous, nougats, fondant, white chocolate, as well as the manufacturing of chewing gum, preserving in sugar of fruit, nuts, fruit peels and other parts of plants, and the manufacturing of confectionery lozenges and pastilles.

Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing

This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing nonchocolate confectioneries. Included in this industry are establishments primarily engaged in retailing nonchocolate confectionery products, not for immediate consumption made on the premises.

Manufacture of sugar confectionery

This industry includes the manufacturing of sugar confectionery: caramels, cachous, nougats, fondant, white chocolate, the manufacturing of chewing gum, preserving in sugar of fruit, nuts, fruit peels and other parts of plants, the manufacturing of confectionery lozenges and pastilles.

Candy and Other Confectionery Products

Establishments primarily engaged in the manufacturing of candy, including chocolate candy, other confections, and related products.

Brands

Explore the page to unmask the illusion of control you have as a consumer and see which brands this corporation owns.

Total Brands: 266

Lobbying

On this page you will find a list of lobbyists who had been hired by Nestlé, the issues they lobbied for, and a list of federal bills they lobbied to pass. Bills that Nestlé lobbied against are not included on this page.

Issues that Nestlé lobbied and campaigned for, these issues are correlated to a list of bills in the next tab.

Bills that Nestlé lobbied and companied for, bills that this corporation lobbied and companied against are not included on this page.

Date of the relationship that Nestlé had with a specific federal government agency.

List of lobbyists who had been hired (with date) to help Nestlé to lobby and campaign for particular issues and bills.

Government Contracts

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Education & Money

Explore how this corporation wields influence in education and academic research through targeted financial contributions to schools and universities across the United States.

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Income Disparities

Find out how the compensation of the CEO from this corporation compares to the salary of the lowest paid worker within the same company.

Spotlight

At a Glance

Founded

Headquarters

Corporation Type

Number of Employees

Major Industries

Total Revenue

Activity Map

Industries

R&D

R&D: Plant Science

R&D: Nestle Nutrition Council

R&D: Technology

Nutrition, Health, and Wellness

Food Manufacturing

Confectionery Manufacturing

Manufacture of cocoa, chocolate, and sugar confectionery

Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing

Manufacture of sugar confectionery

Candy and Other Confectionery Products

Brands

Total Brands: 266

Lobbying

Government Contracts

Education & Money

Income Disparities

1 : 345

Ratio

$11,614,166

CEO Compensation

$33,621

Lowest Worker Compensation

Spotlight

At a Glance

Founded

Headquarters

Corporation Type

Number of Employees

Major Industries

Total Revenue

Activity Map

Industries

R&D

R&D: Plant Science

R&D: Nestle Nutrition Council

R&D: Technology

Nutrition, Health, and Wellness

Food Manufacturing

Confectionery Manufacturing

Manufacture of cocoa, chocolate, and sugar confectionery

Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing

Manufacture of sugar confectionery

Candy and Other Confectionery Products

Brands

Total Brands: 266

Lobbying

14

Advertising

33

Agriculture

21

Animals

1

Aviation, Airlines & Airports

1

Banking

9

Beverage Industry

1

Chemical Industry

9

Clean Air & Water

7

Consumer Product Safety

2

Copyright, Patent & Trademark

3

Economics & Econ Development

3

Energy & Nuclear Power

20

Environment & Superfund

10

Fed Budget & Appropriations

3

Finance

38

Food Industry

3

Foreign Relations

11

Fuel, Gas & Oil

3

Government Issues

18

Health Issues

6

Immigration

2

Insurance

16

Labor, Antitrust & Workplace

1

Manufacturing

11

Medical Research & Clin Labs

8

Medicare & Medicaid

1

Real Estate & Land Use

9

Retirement