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Did you know that Nestlé’s baby formula has killed more than 11 MILLION BABIES and counting?
Why would anybody willingly support a company responsible for something so horrific? Most people wouldn’t. In fact, you’re probably thinking, “Well, I don’t really buy many Nestlé products, so that’s not a problem for me.”
And that’s where you’d be wrong.
Most people recognize Nestlé for its candy and chocolate, but its empire extends FAR beyond the candy aisle. This company owns an enormous collection of brands selling everything from bottled water and pet food to healthcare products, frozen meals, coffee, and countless other everyday necessities.
And here’s the problem: Most of these products don’t even have the Nestlé name on the packaging. So you could be giving this company your hard-earned money every single week without having the slightest idea who you’re actually supporting.
We’re talking about the largest food company in the world, owning more than 2,000 brands globally across 186 countries.
And that’s exactly why I think it’s so important for people to understand just how much of the market Nestlé controls. We’re talking about a company with a horrific history involving child labor, trafficking, water exploitation, environmental destruction, and a baby formula scandal linked to millions of infant deaths. Yet millions of people who would be absolutely disgusted by these practices are unknowingly putting money into Nestlé’s pockets every time they go grocery shopping.
I think it’s time we stopped handing over our hard-earned money to corporations that have made fortunes exploiting and killing some of the most vulnerable people on the planet. Because being outraged by what these companies do means very little if we continue financing them.
So first, I’m going to show you just how enormous Nestlé’s empire really is and which popular brands are putting money into its pockets. Then we’re going to get into the horrifying scandals this company has been involved in, from the baby formula scandal to child labor, trafficking, water exploitation, environmental destruction, and so much more.
WHAT DOES NESTLÉ OWN?
The company is known for its massive candy portfolio, but many people may not know that these are also Nestlé brands. Please, for the love of everything good and right in this world, stop giving these people another dime of your hard-earned money. There are plenty of alternatives that don’t involve putting more money into the pockets of a corporation with such a horrific track record.
BABY PRODUCTS
Gerber
NaturNes
Cerelac
SMA Nutrition
NAN
Alfamino
Alfaré
Althéra
Ascenda
БЫСТРОВ
Beba
Bobo Frut
Ceregrow
Cognita Gold
Excella Gold
G-Balance
Good Care
Illuma 3
Lactogen
Lactogrow
Lactokid
Little Steps Folgemilch
Materna
Mater-Plus
Mio
Mucilon
Nangrow
Nanlac
Nativa
NatureNes
Neslac
Nestlé Junior
Nestogen
Nestum
Nidal
Nidina
Ninho
Opti-Lac
P’tit
Piltti
Promise PE Gold
S-26
Sinlac
Yogolino
BOTTLED WATER
Nestlé Pure Life
Perrier
S. Pellegrino
Acqua Panna
Vittel
Alaçam
Aquarel
Buxton
Ciego Montero
Contrex
Eco de Los Andes
Erekli
Essentia
Glaciar
Henniez
Hèpar
La Vie
Levissima
Minere
Nałęczowianka
Nestlé Splash
Sanbitter
Sta. María
Valvert
Viladrau
Κορπή
CEREAL
itness
Nesquik Cereal
Lion
Chocapic
Bar-One
Box Bowls
Cerevita
Chokella
Cini Minis
Clusters
Country Corn Flakes
Curiously Cinnamon
Estrelitas
GoFree Cereal
Golden Morn
Golden Nuggets
Honey Gold Flakes
Honey Stars
Koko Krunch
La Lechera Flakes
Lifita
Mix
NAT
Nesfit
NesPlus
Nestlé Musli
Neston
Oats & More
Snow Flakes
Uncle Tobys
Zucosos
CHOCOLATE, COOKIES, PASTRIES
Kit Kat
Toll House
Smarties
Quality Street
Aero
Rowntree’s
Garoto
Orion
Cailler
After Eight
Damak
Allen’s Lollies
Alpino
Amor
Animalines y Saladitas
Anticol
Baci
Balaton
Bananita Dolca
Baolu
Baton
Besos de Moza
Big Turk
Boci
Bolero
Bombones Surtidos
Bon Pari
Bono
Bros
Buon Natale
Caja Roja
Calipso
Caramac
Carlos V
Chambinho
Charge
Choclait Chips
Choco Crossies
Chokito
Coco Classic
Cocosette
Coffee Crisp
Cremositas
Crispy Shark Wafers
Cui Cui
Deli
Dois Frades
Dolca
Doré
Ecuateur
Extrafin
Familiar Negro
Fox’s
Freskas
Fruitips
Fun Fruit
Galak
Hašlerky
Hsu Fu Chi
Joe
Jojo
Комильфо
Kaštany
Kofila
Lanvin
Larín
La Fête Chocolat
Lentejas
Lentilky
Les Recettes de l’Atelier
Lion
LZ
Mabel’s Wafers
Mackintosh’s
Margo
McKay
Menier
Milkybar
Mini’s
Mirage
Modré z Neba
Morochas
Munch
Munchies
Mypa
Negresco
Nescau
Nesfit
Nestlé 1927 Özel Serisi
Nestlé Amor
Nestlé Mio
Nestlé Muecas
Nestlé Sal
Nestlé Snack
Nestlé Turrón
Nestlé Vainilla
Nestlé Zoologia
Nestlé Nuts
Passatempo
Passions
Peppermint Crisp
Perugina
Ping Pong
Plaistowe
Polo
Prestígio
Princessa
Россия щедрая душа
Ricas
Sahne Nuss
Samba
São Luiz
Savoy
Sfinx
Soothers
Sorrento
Studentska
Sublime
Suflair
Sundy
Super 8
Susy
Svitoch
Talento
Tango
Tex
Toffee Crisp
Toffo
Tola
Toronto
Trencito
Triangulo
Turtles
Yes!
Yorkie
COFFEE
Nespresso
Nescafé
Nescafé Dolce Gusto
Coffee-Mate
Starbucks Coffee at Home
Seattle’s Best
Aguila
Bonjorno
Blue Bottle Coffee
Bonka
Bracafé
Brite
Buondi
Café Musun
Cremora
El Chana
Linde’s
Orzoro
Presto
Sical
Zoégas
FROZEN FOOD
Stouffer’s
Hot Pockets
DiGiorno
Buitoni
Tombstone Pizza
Lean Cuisine
Sweet Earth
Maggi
Libby’s Pumpkin
Chambinho
Chamyto
Chandelle
California Pizza Kitchen
Creme de Leite
Crosse & Blackwell
Delissio Pizza
Del Monte Frozen Bars
Farinha Láctea
Gourmet
Grego
Hälsans Kök
Haoji
Herta
Hirz
Jack’s Pizza
Leisi
Life Cuisine
Lindahls
Litoral
Longa Vida
Mahler
Mezeast
Milk Pak
Mivina
Nestlé Baker’s Choice
Original Wagner Pizza
Outsider’s Pizza Company
Pak Fook
Pasta Italiana
Raita
Solis
Thomy
Torchin
Tostines
Totole
Wildscape Food
Winiary
DAIRY
Carnation
Nido
KLIM
Svelty
Amanecer
Anchor
Canprolac
Cap Nona
CereAvena
Crema de Leche
Dairy Farm
Dancow
EasyWhip
El Mundo del Dulce
Esencial
Every Day
Gloria
Green Butterfly
Ideal
Impulso
La Campesina
La Laitière
La Lechera
La Vaquita
Lactalis
Leche Condensada
Manjar
Media Crema Table Cream
Milkmaid
Moca
Molico
Nespray
Nestlé a+
Nestle Omega
Nestonutri
NesVita
Nutri Rindes
Quesos Nestlé
Rica Chicha
Sunshine
Sveltesse
Qué Rico
Yogu Yogu
DRINKS
Nesquik
Nestea
Ovaltine
Milo
Abuelita
Bolero
Brasa
Caro
Chococino
Chocofans
Choladi
Chuckie
Copacabana
Ecco
Eko
Fruita Vitals
Gingerino
Good Host
Granko
Huesitos
Le Chocolat
Morelia Presidencial
Natura
Nescau
Nesfruta
Nespray
Nestlé Hot Cocoa
Nestomalt
Orchard
Pensal
Ricacao
Ricoré
Salep
Savoy
Schokolade
Sıcak Çikolata
SPECIAL.T
Sweet Leaf Tea Company
Tonimalt
Vascolet
FOOD SERVICE
Chef
Chef-Mate
Bear Brand
Docello
Fruit Time
Grown Respectfully
Minor’s
Milky Time
Nature’s Heart
nesQuino
Procafé
Puljonki
Sjora
Starbucks by Nescafé Dolce Gusto
Sunkist Beverages
Sunsational
Trio
Vitality
NUTRITION AND HEALTH
Boost
Optifast
Peptamen
Novasource
Arginaid
Benecalorie
Beneprotein
Betaquik
BrainXpert
Carnation Breakfast Essentials
Celltrient
Clinutren
Compat
Compleat
Diabetisource
Douglas Laboratories
FDgard
Fiber Choice
FiberMais
Fibersource
FruitiVits
Garden of Life
Glutasolve
Glytrol
IBgard
Impact
Infasource
Isosource
Klean
K.Quik
Meritene
Microlipid
Minami
Mixxpro
Modulen
ModuLife
Nature’s Bounty
Nestlé Wellness
Nutren
Nutrição Até Você
NutriStrong
Nuun
Optisource
OptiFibre
OsteoBi-Flex
Persona
PronoKal
Pure Encapsulations
Puritan’s Pride
Quick Eze
REMfresh
Renalcal
Renutryl
Replete
Resource
Solgar
Spoonfulone
Sondalis
Sustagen
ThickenUp
Tolerex
Vitaflo
Vital Proteins
Vivonex
Wobecare CBD
Wobe-Mugos
Wobenzym
ICE CREAM
Dreyer’s
Häagen-Dazs
Mövenpick
Nestlé Ice Cream
8Cubes
Aiskrim Tradisi
Antica Gelateria Del Corso
Baton
Bilz Pap
Centella
Chamonix
Chocolito
Chomp
Cola de Dino
Cola de Tigre
Crazy
Crocante
D’anafria
Danky
Dis Frutt
Drumstick
Egocentrico
Eskimo
Especialidades Napolitano
Extreme
GOODNORTH
Kriko
La Cremeria
La Frutta
LollyPop
Mat Kool
Maxibon
Mega
Parlour
Prestigio
Pura Fruta
Real Dairy
Sensação
Serenata de Amor
Scoops
Sin Parar
Stalden
Sundae Swirlz
Trululu
Zoorpresa
PET CARE
Purina
Purina One
Purina Pro Plan
Alpo
Cat Chow
Dog Chow
Fancy Feast
Tidy Cats
Friskies
Beggin’
Frosty Paws
Adventuros
Bakers Complete
Bella
Beneful
Beyond
Bonzo
Busy
Chef Michael’s Canine Creations
Darling
Dentalife
Dogui
Doguitos
Doko
Felix
FortiFlora
Gati
Gatsy
Gourmet
Honest to Dog
Kit & Kaboodle
Kitten Chow
K-Nina
Lily’s Kitchen
Luv
Merrick Pet Care
Moist & Meaty
Mon Petit
Perrarina
Prime
Scamp
SecondNature
Supercoat
Terra Canis
The Pioneer Woman Dog Treats
Tom Poes
Trekker’s
Whisker Lickin’s
The following cereals are sold under the Nestlé brand in some non-U.S. markets: Cheerios, Shreddies, Shredded Wheat, Cookie Crisp, Golden Grahams, Corn Flakes, Trix, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs.
The following candies are sold under the Nestlé brand in some non-U.S. markets: Crunch, Rolo.
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THE BABY-KILLING SCANDAL
In the 1970s, Nestlé was accused of killing approximately 580 babies every single day in developing countries by aggressively promoting its baby formula over breast milk.
That’s 212,000 infants every year.
And the most disturbing part is that Nestlé knew exactly how dangerous its products were for mothers living in poverty, particularly those without access to clean drinking water. But apparently, there was too much money to be made to be worried about something so pesky like keeping babies alive.
By the 1960s, baby formula sales were declining in wealthy countries as more mothers became aware of the benefits of breastfeeding. So Nestlé decided to target poorer countries throughout Asia, Africa, and other developing regions, where birth rates were significantly higher, poverty was widespread, and healthcare infrastructure was severely limited.
For Nestlé, this was a goldmine. Each mother who switched from breastfeeding to formula represented the potential for three to four years of formula sales per child.
So Nestlé set out on a predatory marketing campaign in an effort to convince millions of mothers that their formula was actually more healthy for their babies than their own breast milk.
And the methods Nestlé used to convince these mothers to abandon breastfeeding were absolutely sinister.
Nestlé sent saleswomen DRESSED AS NURSES into hospitals and communities to approach new mothers.
These women presented themselves as medical professionals, handed out free samples of baby formula, and convinced vulnerable mothers that formula was healthier, more modern, and more Western than breastfeeding.
Nestlé also bribed medical specialists to promote its products. These were mothers living in some of the poorest countries in the world, many without adequate healthcare or education, being approached by women dressed as nurses who were encouraging them to stop breastfeeding their own children.
And the free samples were the most sinister part of the entire operation.
The samples lasted long enough for mothers to stop naturally producing breast milk, leaving them dependent on a product they couldn’t even afford.
And this wasn’t some harmless marketing gimmick. The entire strategy was designed to turn mothers into paying customers. This was all strategically planned by Nestle.
But what happens when you convince impoverished mothers to stop breastfeeding and replace their own milk with a product they can’t afford?
They start doing whatever they can to make that product last longer.
So these mothers began DILUTING THE FORMULA WITH WATER.
They were adding more water than the instructions recommended because they couldn’t afford to purchase enough formula to feed their babies properly.
And as a result, their babies weren’t receiving the nutrients they needed to survive. These mothers were unknowingly starving their own children.
And as if that wasn’t horrific enough, there was another problem.
MILLIONS OF THESE MOTHERS DIDN’T EVEN HAVE ACCESS TO CLEAN DRINKING WATER.
Nestlé was aggressively marketing a product that required clean water in countries where clean water wasn’t readily available.
Many mothers were mixing the formula with contaminated water, exposing their babies to dangerous bacteria and potentially fatal diseases like Ecoli and Salmonella, increasing infant mortality.
Others couldn’t even read the preparation instructions.
And Nestlé knew these conditions existed.
Yet Nestlé continued aggressively marketing its products to these very populations.
In Chile, breastfeeding rates collapsed from 90% to just 10% between 1960 and 1968, during the period when commercial baby formula was being introduced and promoted.
Researchers studying approximately 2.6 million births across 38 countries found that infant mortality increased by an estimated 27% following Nestlé’s entry into markets where clean drinking water wasn’t universally available.
By the 1970s, the scandal had become so horrific that the media began referring to the formula as the “Baby Killer.” It sparked one of history’s largest consumer boycotts in 1977 with the “Nestlé Kills Babies” campaign.
Researchers estimate Nestlé’s formula marketing caused 10.9 million excess infant deaths between 1960-2015.
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THE WATER SCANDAL
Nestlé has also found itself at the center of several major human rights controversies involving its bottled water empire. Scroll to the list above to see the many bottled water companies Nestlé owns.
At the World Water Forum in 2000, Nestlé actually tried to lobby for water to be classified as a “need” rather than a fundamental human “right.” Imagine the audacity of a multibillion-dollar corporation that makes enormous profits selling one of the most basic necessities for human survival trying to influence whether people should even have a fundamental right to access it.
And if you want to understand just how disgusting Nestlé’s exploitation of water resources has been, look no further than what happened in Flint, Michigan.
In 2017, while the residents of Flint were suffering through one of the worst drinking water contamination crises in American history, just 100 miles away, Nestlé was pumping approximately 130 MILLION GALLONS of Michigan’s groundwater every single year for a mere $200 a month.
And how much of that water did Nestlé provide to the people of Flint? Not a single drop.
Unsurprisingly, this sparked enormous public outrage, particularly when Nestlé sought permission to increase the amount of water it was extracting from the state. Approximately 81,000 people submitted comments opposing Nestlé’s plans, compared to just 75 in favor, making it abundantly clear that the overwhelming majority of people who participated did not want this corporation extracting even more of Michigan’s groundwater.
But apparently, the voices of 81,000 people meant absolutely nothing, because Michigan ultimately approved Nestlé’s request to increase its water extraction anyway.
And Michigan is hardly the only place where Nestlé has exploited water supplies for profit, because communities in France and Pakistan have also faced serious problems involving Nestlé’s groundwater extraction and the depletion of local aquifers.
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HUMAN RIGHTS SCANDALS
Nestlé has also found itself at the center of horrific human rights scandals involving human trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, and modern-day slavery, including allegations connected to the supply chains of some of its most recognizable brands.
From the cocoa plantations in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, where Nestlé sources chocolate ingredients, to the Thai fishing industry supplying its Purina pet food business, investigations have exposed disturbing instances of workers being trafficked, exploited, and forced to work under conditions resembling slavery.
And perhaps the most horrifying part is that many of the victims working without pay were CHILDREN, some as young as 12 to 16 years old, subjected to exploitation in the supply chains of one of the wealthiest food corporations in the world.
I don’t know about you, but I find it absolutely disgusting that a corporation with a history of scandals involving the deaths of babies, child labor, human trafficking, modern-day slavery, and the exploitation of natural resources has managed to build one of the largest and most profitable food empires in the world.
And what’s even more disturbing is that millions of people are unknowingly financing this corporation every single day simply by purchasing products from brands they don’t even realize Nestlé owns.
We’ve reached a point where these enormous corporations can be exposed for some of the most horrific practices imaginable, face public outrage, pay a few fines, and continue making billions of dollars as though nothing ever happened.
Meanwhile, the people who suffered the consequences of their actions will never get back what was taken from them.
And I think it’s about time we started asking ourselves why we continue rewarding corporations with our hard-earned money when their track records show such blatant disregard for human life.
Because at the end of the day, Nestlé needs your money a whole lot more than you need its products. There are alternatives to the brands this company owns, and choosing where you spend your money is one of the few ways ordinary people can directly refuse to finance corporations whose practices they find absolutely reprehensible.
We can’t keep complaining about corporate greed, exploitation, and corruption while continuing to hand these companies billions of dollars every year.
If you want to hurt a corporation where it actually matters, stop giving it your money.
And now that you know just how many brands Nestlé owns, you can make that decision for yourself instead of unknowingly putting more money into its pockets.
Which Nestlé-owned brands were you most surprised to see on the list, and which ones will you stop buying?
I’d also love to know what other corporations you’d like me to investigate, particularly those with histories of exploitation, corruption, and human rights abuses that most Americans know absolutely nothing about.
Let me know in the comments below, because I have a feeling Nestlé is far from the only company whose products are sitting in our homes while its darkest scandals remain largely forgotten.
Relevant reading:
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Yes, you're right Maddie. In the Seventies and Eighties feminists valiantly against Nestlé formula use in Africa for mothers without an adequate supply of clean water. As a teen I was also pressured in the hospital after childbirth to accept using formula. The doctor said it was more modern and sanitary. It is a lot more work for mothers.
Great article! I boycotted them many years ago because of the baby formula scandal but I’ve been buying buxton water for many years not knowing it was owned by Nestle but thanks to you I now know! Maybe you could look into Procter & Gamble, I boycotted them because of Palestine but I also believe they have had some scandals and aren’t ethical in their business practices.