Product details

Nestle was one of the most successful food-based companies in the world. Set up by Henri Nestle in 1867, in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestle grew over the decades by acquiring smaller companies to become the largest company in Switzerland by the 1960s. Nestle's product portfolio included soluble and roast coffee, other beverages like tea and health drinks, several mineral water brands, dairy products, chocolates and confectionery, ice cream, frozen food, culinary products, breakfast cereals, infant food, pet care, pharmaceutical products and cosmetics. By the end of 2002, the company employed more than 250,000 people in 508 factories around the world. Although it was one of the most successful companies in the world, Nestle was frequently criticised for using unethical marketing practices to promote the sales of some of its products. The company was severely condemned by health agencies around the world for its marketing of infant formula in developing countries, by conveying the message that the formula was better for babies than mothers' milk. There were also demands on the company to stop purchasing cocoa from the Ivory Coast, where bonded labour and children were used on plantations to harvest cocoa beans. Nestle also became mired in a controversy for selling genetically modified food in some Asian countries without labelling them explicitly. Pure Life, the mineral water brand the company launched in some Asian countries, was also criticised for being too high priced.