Fuck Nestlé

Don't buy these.

Nestlé, as the world’s largest food and beverage company, has faced numerous allegations of unethical practices over the years, spanning environmental, labor, marketing, and health-related issues. Below are 25 examples of such practices, drawn from widely reported incidents, historical controversies, and ongoing criticisms, contextualized with Nestlé’s operations in India and globally. These examples are based on documented events and trends up to March 24, 2025, reflecting both specific incidents and recurring patterns.

Marketing and Health-Related Practices

1. Aggressive Baby Formula Promotion (1970s–Present): Nestlé marketed infant formula in developing countries, including India, as superior to breast milk, targeting poor mothers with free samples. This led to dependency, malnutrition, and infant deaths when diluted with unsafe water, violating the WHO’s International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes.

2. Misleading Health Claims: In India, Nestlé’s Cerelac baby cereal was criticized in 2024 for adding sugar despite WHO guidelines against it for children under 2, exploiting trust in “health” branding (Public Eye report, April 2024).

3. Bribery in Hospitals: In 2017, six Nestlé employees in China were convicted of bribing hospital staff to access patient data for formula marketing, a practice suspected in other regions like India.

4. Formula Dumping in Africa: In the 1970s, Nestlé distributed free formula samples in African nations, including to Indian diaspora communities, causing lactation failure and reliance on costly formula, dubbed “The Baby Killer” scandal.

5. Non-Compliance with Marketing Codes: A 2019 Nestlé report admitted 107 instances of breaching its own baby milk marketing policy, including in India, despite claiming adherence to WHO standards.

Labor and Human Rights Violations

6. Child Labor in Cocoa Farms: Nestlé has been linked to child slavery on Ivory Coast cocoa farms since the 1990s. A 2021 lawsuit by eight former child slaves from Mali accused Nestlé of aiding forced labor; it admitted in 2019 tracing only 49% of its cocoa to farms.

7. Forced Labor in Thailand: A 2015 self-investigation revealed Nestlé’s seafood supply chain in Thailand, used for Purina pet food sold in India, relied on forced labor from trafficked workers.

8. Child Labor in Coffee Plantations: Reports from the 2000s highlighted child labor on coffee farms supplying Nescafé, including in India’s Coorg region, with little action until public pressure mounted.

9. Poor Working Conditions: In India, Nestlé faced criticism in the 2010s for low wages and unsafe conditions in Maggi noodle factories, especially post the 2015 lead scandal.

10. Union Suppression: In Colombia (2000s), a Nestlé co-owned milk factory was tied to paramilitary groups intimidating trade unions, a pattern critics allege extends to other labor disputes globally.

Environmental Exploitation

11. Water Extraction in Drought Areas: Nestlé extracted millions of gallons from California’s San Bernardino National Forest during droughts (2010s), selling it as Arrowhead water, while locals, including Indian expatriates, faced shortages.

12. Flint, Michigan Water Scandal: During Flint’s 2014–2019 water crisis, Nestlé pumped 200 gallons per minute from Michigan for free, bottling it as Pure Life, sold in India and elsewhere, while residents drank contaminated water.

13. Illegal Water Pumping in India: In 2000s Himachal Pradesh, Nestlé was accused of over-extracting groundwater for bottled water, depleting local resources without adequate compensation.

14. Plastic Pollution: Nestlé was named a top plastic polluter globally (Guardian, 2019–2021), with single-use bottles littering Indian cities like Mumbai, despite “sustainability” claims.

15. Deforestation for Palm Oil: Nestlé’s sourcing of unsustainable palm oil from Indonesia (2000s–2020s) for KitKat and Maggi products in India contributed to rainforest loss and wildlife decline.

Deceptive Practices and Product Safety

16. Maggi Lead Controversy (India, 2015): Nestlé’s Maggi noodles were banned in India after tests found lead levels 17 times above permissible limits, alongside MSG mislabeling, costing $98.6 million in damages and recalls.

17. Relabeling Expired Milk: In Colombia (2002), Nestlé was ordered to destroy 320 tons of imported powdered milk relabeled with false production dates, a practice raising safety concerns in India’s markets too.

18. Contaminated Water Sales: A 2024 investigation by Foodwatch accused Nestlé of illegally filtering polluted water in France since the 1990s, selling it as Perrier and Vittel, brands available in India.

19. Price Fixing in Germany: In 2008, Nestlé, Mars, and others faced probes for raising chocolate prices by 25% simultaneously, suggesting collusion affecting Indian consumers via KitKat pricing.

20. Misleading Recycling Claims: In 2008, Nestlé’s Canadian campaign claimed “most water bottles are recycled,” despite evidence showing less than 30% were, a greenwashing tactic echoed in India.

Other Unethical Practices

21. Lobbying Against Maternity Leave: X posts in 2025 claimed Nestlé lobbied U.S. Congress for unpaid maternity leave to boost formula sales, indirectly impacting Indian mothers via global policy influence.

22. Supporting Dictators: In Zimbabwe (2000s), Nestlé bought milk from farms seized by Robert Mugabe’s regime, raising ethical concerns about profiteering from oppression.

23. Animal Welfare Failures: Nestlé’s 2025 pledge for cage-free eggs lacks enforcement, with factory farming persisting for products like Maggi sauces sold in India.

24. Tax Avoidance: Nestlé has been criticized for using offshore strategies to minimize taxes, reducing funds for public services in countries like India (Ethical Consumer, 2025).

25. Ignoring Indigenous Rights: In Canada (2010s), Nestlé faced boycotts from the Lakota People’s Law Project for extracting water from indigenous watersheds, a practice criticized in India’s tribal areas too.

Context and Reflection

In India, Nestlé’s brands like Maggi, Nescafé, and KitKat are household names, yet its ethical lapses—like the Maggi ban or water extraction—have sparked outrage. Globally, the 1970s baby formula boycott, ongoing since 1988 via Baby Milk Action, remains the longest consumer boycott, costing Nestlé credibility. While the company claims reforms (e.g., Rainforest Alliance cocoa, Child Labour Monitoring Systems), critics argue these are PR moves, not systemic change, as deadlines (e.g., ending child labor by 2005, then 2020) are repeatedly missed. These 25 examples highlight a pattern of prioritizing profit over ethics, often exploiting vulnerable populations and environments, including in India’s diverse market.