Editing Nestlé (section)

==Controversies==
{{Main|Controversies of Nestlé}}The company has been associated with [[Controversies of Nestlé|various controversies]], facing criticism and [[Boycott|boycotts]] over its marketing of baby formula as an alternative to [[breastfeeding]] in developing countries (where clean water may be scarce), its reliance on suppliers that use [[child labour in cocoa production]], and its production and promotion of [[bottled water]].

Nestlé is involved in many significant controversies due to Nestlé's reported use of

* incidents of contaminated and infested food products,
* actively spreading disinformation about recycling,
* illegal water-pumping from drought-stricken Native American reservations,
* preventing access to non-bottled water in impoverished countries,
* price fixing,
* slave labor,
* child labor,
* extensive union-busting activity, and
* deforestation.

=== Baby formula marketing ===
Concern about Nestlé's "aggressive marketing" of their [[breast milk]] substitutes, particularly in [[Developing country|less economically developed countries]] (LEDCs), first arose in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite news |date=2 February 2018 |title=Nestle to respond to baby milk criticism in coming days |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-nestle-babymilk/nestle-to-respond-to-baby-milk-criticism-in-coming-days-idUKKBN1FM18F |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824025502/https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-nestle-babymilk/nestle-to-respond-to-baby-milk-criticism-in-coming-days-idUKKBN1FM18F |archive-date=24 August 2019 |access-date=24 August 2019 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en}}</ref> Critics have accused Nestlé of discouraging mothers from breastfeeding and suggesting that their baby formula is healthier than breastfeeding.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plüss |first=Jessica |date=10 January 2020 |title=Nestlé struggles to win over baby formula critics |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/milk-for-older-babies_nestl%C3%A9-struggles-to-win-over-infant-formula-critics/45473338 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530180155/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/milk-for-older-babies_nestl%C3%A9-struggles-to-win-over-infant-formula-critics/45473338 |archive-date=30 May 2022 |access-date=29 May 2023 |website=[[Swissinfo]]}}</ref> This led to the [[1977 Nestlé boycott]] in the United States and Europe.<ref name="Moorhead">{{cite news |last1=Moorhead |first1=Joanna |author1-link=Joanna Moorhead |date=15 May 2007 |title=Milking it |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/may/15/medicineandhealth.lifeandhealth |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828203146/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/may/15/medicineandhealth.lifeandhealth |archive-date=28 August 2019 |access-date=23 August 2019 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Han |first=Soul |date=30 September 2021 |title=International groups boycott Nestle products to end indiscriminate advertising, 1977-1984 |url=https://commonslibrary.org/international-groups-boycott-nestle-products-to-end-indiscriminate-advertising-1977-1984/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110052921/https://commonslibrary.org/international-groups-boycott-nestle-products-to-end-indiscriminate-advertising-1977-1984/ |archive-date=10 November 2022 |access-date=10 November 2022 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU}}</ref>

=== Slave labour and child labour ===
Multiple reports have documented the widespread use of [[child labour]] as well as [[slavery]] and [[Trafficking of children|child trafficking]] by [[Theobroma cacao|cocoa]] suppliers, throughout [[West Africa]]n plantations, on which Nestlé and other major chocolate companies rely.<ref name="Raghavan1">{{cite news |last1=Raghavan |first1=Sudarsan |last2=Chatterjee |first2=Sumana |date=24 June 2001 |title=Slaves feed world's taste for chocolate: Captives common in cocoa farms of Africa |url=http://vision.ucsd.edu/~kbranson/stopchocolateslavery/atasteofslavery.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060917014323/http://vision.ucsd.edu/~kbranson/stopchocolateslavery/atasteofslavery.html |archive-date=17 September 2006 |access-date=25 April 2012 |work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]}}</ref><ref name="combating">{{cite web |year=2005 |title=Combating Child Labour in Cocoa Growing |url=http://www.ilo.org/public//english//standards/ipec/themes/cocoa/download/2005_02_cl_cocoa.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630204954/http://www.ilo.org/public//english//standards/ipec/themes/cocoa/download/2005_02_cl_cocoa.pdf |archive-date=30 June 2012 |access-date=26 April 2012 |publisher=[[International Labour Organization]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Wolfe |first1=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i2WeACR-WIYC&q=bbc+documentary+children+chocolate+2000&pg=PA98 |title=Naked Chocolate: The Astonishing Truth about the World's Greatest Food |last2=Shazzie |publisher=North Atlantic Books |year=2005 |isbn=1556437315 |page=98 |access-date=15 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828084858/https://books.google.com/books?id=i2WeACR-WIYC&q=bbc+documentary+children+chocolate+2000&pg=PA98 |archive-date=28 August 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="chocolate slavery">{{cite news |last=Hawksley |first=Humphrey |author-link=Humphrey Hawksley |date=12 April 2001 |title=Mali's children in chocolate slavery |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1272522.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226141935/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1272522.stm |archive-date=26 December 2008 |access-date=2 January 2010 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref name="accuses companies">{{cite news |last=Hawksley |first=Humphrey |author-link=Humphrey Hawksley |date=4 May 2001 |title=Ivory Coast accuses chocolate companies |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1311982.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114115945/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1311982.stm |archive-date=14 January 2009 |access-date=4 August 2010 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

=== Water ===
At the second [[World Water Forum]] in 2000, Nestlé and other corporations persuaded the [[World Water Council]] to change its statement so as to reduce access to drinking water from a "right" to a "need". Nestlé continues to take control of [[aquifer]]s and bottle their water for profit.<ref>{{cite news |last=Muir |first=Paul |date=28 November 2013 |title=The human rights and wrongs of Nestlé and water for all |url=https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/the-human-rights-and-wrongs-of-nestl%C3%A9-and-water-for-all-1.303517 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629043128/http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/the-human-rights-and-wrongs-of-nestl-and-water-for-all |archive-date=29 June 2017 |access-date=21 April 2015 |newspaper=[[The National (Abu Dhabi)|The National]] |location=Abu Dhabi}}</ref>

A coalition of environmental groups filed a complaint against Nestlé to the [[Advertising Standards Canada|Advertising Standards of Canada]] after Nestlé took out full-page advertisements in October 2008 with messages stating, "Most water bottles avoid landfill sites and are recycled", "[[Nestlé Pure Life]] is a healthy, eco-friendly choice", and, "Bottled water is the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the world."<ref name="cbc">{{cite news |date=1 December 2008 |title=Nestlé bottled-water ads misleading, environmentalists say |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/nestl%C3%A9-bottled-water-ads-misleading-environmentalists-say-1.748791 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103032603/http://www.cbc.ca/news/nestl%C3%A9-bottled-water-ads-misleading-environmentalists-say-1.748791 |archive-date=3 January 2016 |access-date=4 January 2016 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref><ref name="polaris">{{cite web |title=Groups Challenge Nestlé's Bottled Water Greenwashing |url=http://www.polarisinstitute.org/groups_challenge_nestl%C3%A9%E2%80%99s_bottled_water_greenwashing |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022031038/http://www.polarisinstitute.org/groups_challenge_nestl%C3%A9%E2%80%99s_bottled_water_greenwashing |archive-date=22 October 2014 |access-date=30 November 2010 |work=[[Polaris Institute]]}}</ref><ref name="reuter">{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=Scott |date=1 December 2008 |title=Nestlé water ads misleading: Canada green groups |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE4B06UJ20081201 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521060733/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE4B06UJ20081201 |archive-date=21 May 2010 |access-date=30 November 2010 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>{{needs update|date=March 2025}}

=== Animal welfare ===
In 2018, Nestlé pledged to abide by the "Better Chicken Commitment", which involved committing to a range of improved welfare practices for chicken procured for use in Nestlé food products.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Policy - BCC [EU] |url=https://betterchickencommitment.com/eu/policy/ |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=betterchickencommitment.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Animal Welfare |url=https://www.nestle.com/sustainability/sustainable-sourcing/animal-welfare |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250411175354/https://www.nestle.com/sustainability/sustainable-sourcing/animal-welfare?__cf_chl_rt_tk=hYnfpgij9BjA0pCCM9OnA_QRc0NUqhKkWJ5Gl645uFQ-1744394034-1.0.1.1-x1i1hssKiuEr04VcOAGZVyYNz8H4D2ri6L69CuSU.zQ |archive-date=April 11, 2025 |access-date=April 11, 2025 |website=Nestle.com}}</ref> However, a 2025 review from Compassion in World Farming listed that the company was not providing updates on progress towards complying with its 2018 pledge.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Animal welfare standards remain a worry as chicken commitments wane |url=https://www.ingredientsnetwork.com/animal-welfare-standards-remain-a-worry-as-news126860.html |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=www.ingredientsnetwork.com}}</ref>

In 2024, Nestle reported that 74.4% of its eggs are sourced from [[cage-free]] suppliers, slightly down from 76.3% in 2021.<ref name=":0" />