Nestle : defends itself against baby milk criticism
February 08, 2018 at 05:23 pm IST
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ZURICH (Reuters) - Nestle defended itself on Thursday against an activist group's criticism of its baby milk, saying it respects international marketing standards and does not suggest its products are better than breastmilk.
It was responding to a report by the Changing Markets Foundation accusing the world's largest packaged food company of putting profit before science.
In a statement Nestle, whose baby food brands include Gerber, said it complies with the World Health Organization code on marketing breastmilk substitutes and applies its own policy when it is stricter than national legislation.
"Nestle ensures that the composition of its formulas is strictly informed by the best available science," it said.
"Nestle does not use any statements on its infant formula products or in its other communications that idealize its products or imply they are superior to or equivalent to breastmilk," it added.
The Changing Markets Foundation report had found Nestle had many inconsistencies across its range of formula products and cast doubt on the credibility of some of its health claims.
The Changing Markets Foundation is a Dutch group that says it promotes campaigns to address sustainability challenges by trying to shift business away from companies with unsustainable products.
(Reporting by Martinne Geller, Writing by Michael Shields; Editing by Keith Weir)
Nestlé S.A. is the world's leading agri-food group. Net sales break down by category of products as follows:
- powdered and liquid beverages (26.7%): soluble coffees (Nescafé and Starbucks brands), coffee in capsules (Nespresso), chocolate drinks (Nesquik, Milo, etc.), tea drinks (Nestea), etc.;
- pet food (20.3%): brands such as Purina, Friskies, Felix, etc.;
- pharmaceutical, nutrition and well-being products (16.4%): nutritional supplements (Resource, Boost, Nutren, Optifast, Peptamen brands, etc.), infant and maternal nutrition products (NAN, illuma, Cerelac, Nido, Gerber), ketogenic beverages (BrainXpert), (Nesquick, Fitness, Cheerios, Lion, etc.), etc.;
- ready meals and seasoning products (12.5%): frozen and chilled dishes (Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets and Stouffer's brands), soups (Maggi), etc.;
- dairy products and ice cream (11.8%): powdered milk, sweetened condensed milk, yoghurt and cream desserts, ice cream (Nido, Nesvita, Carnation, La Laitière, Coffee Mate, Nestlé Ice Cream, Dreyers, Häagen-Dazs, Extrême brands, etc.);
- chocolates, sweets and biscuits (8.7%): Kit Kat, Smarties, Cailler, Terrafertil, etc. brands;
- bottled waters (3.6%): Nestlé Pure Life, Vittel, Perrier, S. Pellegrino, etc. brands.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Switzerland (1.2%), France (3.8%), the United Kingdom (3.8%), Germany (2.4%), Europe (12.8%), the United States and Canada (35%), China (5.9%), Asia and Oceania (21.4%) and Latin America (13.7%).