The baby food issue has rightly earned Nestlé the “baby killer” label. As the market leader,  Nestlé’s refusal to abide by the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent WHA Resolutions remains a serious threat to infant and young child health and survival. Nestlé’s egregious marketing undermines breasfeeding, a resilient practice that provides food, care, immune support and protection including during the worst of emergency conditions. Nestlé also undermines confidence in and use of bio-diverse family foods by flooding markets with poor quality ultra-processed snacks, drinks and foods.

50-70% percent of Nestlé’s 2000-brand food and drink portfolio is deemed to be ultra-processed and unhealthy and Nestlé shareholders refused a call to change the marketing strategy at its 2024 Annual Assembly. (4)

Ultra-Processing is an issue that the global food industry is probably unable to tackle, and for the first time was on the Codex agenda in November 2025. Since  1995 IBFAN has advocated that all Codex standards and Guidelines should be brought into line with World Health Assembly recommendations.

The dual mandate of Codex – both to protect and consumer health and to facilitate fair trade – fundamentally compromises and undermines its credibility as a leader on UPFs. Codex has, after all, boosted the global trade of addictive, plastic wrapped UPFs for decades.  Click Here and Here  

Environmental Nestlé is a major contributor to plastic pollution, intensive agriculture, risky technologies, monocropping, and land-and sea-grabbing. Click here 

Nestlé  continues to face charges of child slavery. (5)

The company has already been fined 2 million Euros for illegal treatment of its boaled mineral water brands, in a 3 billion Euros consumer fraud that lasted over 15 years. Nestlé paid this fine to avoid legal action.vi Nestlé is currently facing criminal proceedings in France this November, with charges of illegal waste disposal and contamination linked to pollution by plasic boales.

EDUCATION 

Nestlé has been running its Healthy Kids programs in schools since the early 1990s and has admitted that its key purpose is to ‘improve the company’s reputation’ and ‘legitimately  communicate its socially responsible intentions to adults.’ IBFAN believes that educationshould be free from undue political and commercial influence should also be considered a fundamental human right. Education materials are a more complex problem than straightforward product advertising because they blur the boundaries between advertising, marketing and independent information.  When linked to  prestigious institutions the ‘halo’ effect gains the trust of children, teachers and parents and diverts attention  from a company’s anti-social actions.

Nestlé’s baby food products may not be worse than other products – some may even be less risky – but Nestlé is shown that it is not a company that should be trusted.  It has a recurring pattern of operation that clearly prioritises profit over environmental sustainability, regulatory compliance, and human health.

(4) https://www.actiononsalt.org.uk/media/action-on-salt/WASSHShareAction-Summary-Report-(1).pdf

KitKat owner Nestlé fights off push to cut back on unhealthy products https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/apr/18/nestle-vote-sugar-salt-fats “The coalition claimed Nestlé gets 75% of its global sales from products containing high levels of salt, sugar and fat…”. https://www.fooddive.com/news/nestle-investors-lessen-dependence-on-unhealthy-foods/710290/  Food Dive14 Mar 2024

(5) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-57522186 Mars, Nestlé and Hershey to face child slavery lawsuit in US. Guardian Fri 12 Feb 2021
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/12/mars-nestle-and-hershey-to-face-landmark-child-slavery-lawsuit-in-us