{"id":229051,"date":"2023-02-13T12:00:07","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=229051"},"modified":"2025-01-10T15:06:24","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:06:24","slug":"nestles-blatant-misconduct-shows-us-the-darkness-of-capitalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/02\/nestles-blatant-misconduct-shows-us-the-darkness-of-capitalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Nestl\u00e9\u2019s Blatant Misconduct Shows Us the Darkness of Capitalism"},"content":{"rendered":"

From inventing the need for mass-scale baby formula leading to the deaths of infants, to redirecting much needed water from impoverished areas to bottle and sell back to the same communities, to exploiting child labor and slavery, Nestl\u00e9 will stoop to any moral low to make a buck.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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[Source: boucherie-abolition.com]<\/p><\/div>7 Feb 2023 – <\/em>Corporations like Nestl\u00e9 are essentially doomsday machines: man-made creations that will ultimately destroy humanity if allowed to continue as they are. Multinational corporations are required by law to place the financial interests of shareholders above all other matters, even if that requires them to prioritize the bottom line above the common good. In this nightmare of our own creation, if it is more cost-effective for corporations to commit mass atrocities and pay a fine, than to not commit atrocities, the corporation is compelled to commit atrocities to ensure shareholder returns.<\/p>\n

Further, this maximization of profit through unhinged business practices and investment tactics creates a cycle of destruction further fed by governments and institutions relaxing rules to entice companies to do business in ways that financially benefit that government. This enables the businesses to create more profit by cutting corners around labor rights, safety protections, and environmental standards. As negligence is further normalized, governments must entice businesses with more concessions, which encourages even worse behavior from corporations. Governments and business then race each other to the bottom in a destructive spiral that harms everyone.<\/p>\n

In the Unites States, corporations claim a legal status as if they were human beings. While this is a fictional concept, if the corporation Nestl\u00e9 were a person\u2014Nestl\u00e9 would be the worst kind of person, someone you would never want to be in the same room with. Nestl\u00e9 is the American Psycho<\/em> of corporations.<\/p>\n

Yet, a company like Nestl\u00e9 only exists because of the acquiescence and facilitation of its gross misconduct by governments and society. This case study on Nestl\u00e9\u2019s business practices highlights some of the most egregious behavior by corporations.<\/p>\n

A Corporation Called Nestl\u00e9<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Founded in 1866 by Henri Nestl\u00e9, today the Nestl\u00e9 corporation owns more than 2,000 brands.[1]<\/a><\/sup> Nestl\u00e9 is the world\u2019s largest food company and is one of the most multinational of companies, with more than 450 manufacturing facilities in more than 79 countries, sales in 186 countries, and employment of 276,000 workers. In 2021, Nestl\u00e9 reported $87 billion in sales and $22 billion in global profit. Around 30% of Nestl\u00e9\u2019s total sales came from the United States, where Nestl\u00e9 reported $26 billion in sales. [2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"Henri
Henri Nestl\u00e9 [Source: nestle.cz<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Nestl\u00e9 name is widely associated with a controversy. Nestl\u00e9\u2019s success is arguably due to its incredible brutality\u2014from inventing the need for mass-scale baby formula leading to the deaths of infants, or redirecting much needed water from impoverished areas to bottle and sell back to the same communities, to exploiting child labor and slavery to gather ingredients for consumer products it admits have no nutritional value\u2014Nestl\u00e9 is an incredibly unethical company.<\/p>\n

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1911 Nestl\u00e9 ad in Good Housekeeping<\/em> magazine. [Source: zmscience.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yet, most of us probably regularly purchase Nestl\u00e9 products, even if we think we avoid doing so. Nestl\u00e9\u2019s owns an impressively extensive list of popular brand names including: Acqua Panna, Alpo, Beneful, Blue Bottle Coffee, Boost, Buitoni, Carnation, Cheerios, Coffee Mate, DiGiorno, Dreyer\u2019s, Fancy Feast, Garden of Life, Gerber, Haagen Dazs, Hot Pockets, Kit Kat, Lean Cuisine, Nature\u2019s Bounty, Nescafe, Nespresso, Nesquik, Ovaltine, Perrier, Purina, Pure Life, Stouffers, Starbucks Coffee at Home, Sweet Earth, San Pellegrino and Tombstone Pizza.[3]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9 is also a major shareholder in L\u2019Or\u00e9al, the multinational cosmetics conglomerate, which Nestl\u00e9 reports as an \u201cassociate\u201d on its financial reports.[4]<\/a><\/sup> L\u2019Or\u00e9al itself owns many popular personal care brands like Lanc\u00f4me, Garnier, Maybelline, Essie, Redkin, NYX, CeraVe, Urban Decay, and Kiehl\u2019s.[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"Diagram\n\nDescription
[Source: zmescience.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cNestl\u00e9 Kills Babies\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nestl\u00e9\u2019s most infamous scandal is around its baby formula products.<\/p>\n

If mothers are able to breastfeed their babies, they are advised to provide their babies only breast milk for the first six months of life.[6]<\/a><\/sup> However, in the 1970s, Nestl\u00e9 began sending representatives dressed as nurses to hospitals in impoverished countries to promote the company\u2019s baby formula as replacement for breast milk, including sending families home with one free can. In these areas, the water that must be used to mix up the formula and clean the bottles was not safe.[7]<\/a><\/sup> Nestl\u00e9 convinced these mothers to reject their own breast milk in favor of its infant formula.[8]<\/a><\/sup> Then, the mothers could not switch back to breastfeeding because, after one can, it was too late in the lactation cycle.<\/p>\n

\"Text\n\nDescription
[Source: theboycottbook.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The result was an estimated one million dead babies every year from malnutrition or diseases contracted from dirty water or bottles.[9]<\/a><\/sup> In 1974, a report was published in Switzerland titled \u201cNestl\u00e9 Kills Babies.\u201d[10]<\/a><\/sup> All of this led to massive boycotts in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Nestl\u00e9 insisted that the real problem was only access to water, while at the same time beginning to seize public waters for bottling and polluting the water that remained.[11]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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Protests in 1970s against Nestl\u00e9. [Source: listverse.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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[Source: corporateaccountability.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In May 2007, an investigation found evidence Nestl\u00e9 was still engaging in questionable infant-formula marketing practices in Bangladesh.[12]<\/a><\/sup> Then in 2011, Nestl\u00e9 was investigated for bribery in the Chinese baby formula market\u2014including bribing medical staff to promote its infant formula to new mothers.[13]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Undeterred, in April 2012, Nestl\u00e9 deepened its involvement in the market by purchasing Pfizer\u2019s baby formula business (SMA) for more than $11 billion.[14]<\/a><\/sup> In 2019, Nestle\u0301\u02bcs own report still found at least 107 instances of non-compliance with international baby milk marketing rules.[15]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Last year, the World Health Organization and UNICEF issued a report finding ongoing \u201cextensive and aggressive marketing practices used by the formula milk industry to target new and prospective parents\u201d <\/em>which \u201cexploit emotions, the fears and the ambitions of women and families at a time they\u2019re potentially most vulnerable.\u201d<\/em>[16]<\/a><\/sup> Nestle\u0301\u02bcs baby formula practices are a stunning example of free-market murder over decades.<\/p>\n

Bottling the Commons<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In poor regions, Nestl\u00e9 and others have been taking water from aquifers, springs, rivers and lakes\u2014and putting it in plastic bottles or turning it into flavored and sugary drinks\u2014then dumping their used and dirty water back into water sources. Locals are then not able to drink tap water and end up paying extortionate prices to the European and U.S. corporations for bottled versions of their own previously uncontaminated tap water.[17]<\/a><\/sup> In 2020, Nestl\u00e9 reported $6.4B in bottled water sales.[18]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
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[Source: pinterest.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

For years, activists have accused Nestle\u0301 of lining its own pockets through back-door privatization of public water supplies. Access to water is a human right.<\/p>\n

Corporate privatization of the commons seizes a public resource and converts it to a private good, and Nestle\u0301 has been implicated in this for decades. In fact, the source of America\u2019s corporate water crisis can be traced back to 1976 when Perrier opened an office in New York.[19]<\/a><\/sup> The firm partnered with a U.S. executive who had recently left Levi Strauss, and they built a marketing campaign to convince Americans to pay for water.[20]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Nestle\u0301 acquired Perrier in 1992 for $2.6B.[21]<\/a><\/sup> At that time, Perrier had issued a recall due to reports of benzene in the bottled water and also faced a fine in New York for false advertising.[22]<\/a><\/sup> Perrier was apparently a culture fit for Nestle\u0301.<\/p>\n

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[Source: nestle.cz<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By 2016, bottled water sales had surpassed soda as the largest U.S. beverage category, with Americans consuming 12.8B gallons that year.[23]<\/a><\/sup> In addition to seizing public waters, Nestl\u00e9\u2019s manufacturing process uses far more water than the output provides (only about 70%). Meanwhile, Nestl\u00e9 also dumps a significant amount of now polluted water back into water basins and aquifers.[24]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

While other companies moved their operations out of drought-ridden California, Nestl\u00e9\u2019s CEO said he would pump more out of the San Bernardino National Forest if he could. Nobody actually knows how much Nestl\u00e9 extracts from this source\u2014which it has been doing without a permit since 1988\u2014paying only $524 a year to bypass the requirement.[25]<\/a><\/sup> In 2021, California\u2019s Water Resources Control Board asked Nestl\u00e9 to stop the unauthorized water diversions after a probe revealed multiple violations and depleted resources.[26]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9 has shown no shame or contrition for any of this. In fact, former Nestl\u00e9 chief executive and chairman Peter Brabeck called water a \u201cgrocery product\u201d that should \u201chave a market value.\u201d He later amended that, arguing water can be a human right, but only 25 liters a day.[27]<\/a><\/sup> Today, Nestl\u00e9\u2019s website continues to argue that \u201cnon-essential\u201d use of water is not a human right and should \u201ccarry a cost.\u201d[28]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
\"Nestle
Peter Brabeck [Source: nbcnews.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Slavery-made<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nestl\u00e9\u2019s unlawful business practices are not limited to fatally unethical marketing. Nestl\u00e9 has also been implicated in child labor, human trafficking and slavery\u2014for decades.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that more than 1.5 million children work in the cocoa industry in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, which produce 60% of the world\u2019s annual cocoa harvest. More than 40% of those children are exposed to dangerous working conditions, including chemical usage, burning fields, swinging machetes, and heavy lifting\u2014activities that international authorities consider the \u201cworst forms of child labor.\u201d[29]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"\"
Nestl\u00e9 child laborer in the Ivory Coast. [Source: change.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Nestl\u00e9 USA v. Doe<\/em> (2021), former child slaves who were trafficked into C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire to work on cocoa farms filed suit under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) against Nestl\u00e9 USA.[30]<\/a><\/sup> They accused the corporation of aiding and abetting the illegal enslavement of thousands of children on cocoa farms in Nestl\u00e9\u2019s supply chains.[31]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9 USA effectively controls much of the cocoa production in the Ivory Coast and operates \u201cwith the unilateral goal of finding the cheapest source of cocoa in the Ivory Coast<\/em>,\u201d resulting in a \u201csystem built on child slavery to depress labor costs<\/em>.\u201d[32]<\/a><\/sup> Nestl\u00e9 knowingly profited from the illegal work of children and Nestl\u00e9\u2019s contracted suppliers were able to provide lower prices than if they had employed adult workers with proper protective equipment.[33]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In Nestl\u00e9\u2019s Petition for Certiorari, Nestl\u00e9\u2019s lawyers did not deny there was slavery in its supply chain but instead argued, among other things, that corporations cannot be liable for violations of customary international law or human rights violations.[34]<\/a><\/sup> Nestle\u0301 lawyers extensively referenced the Nuremberg Trials in their argument for impunity, desperately pleading that even the corporation that supplied Zyklon B gas, which the Nazis used to kill millions, was not convicted during that trial.[35]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

During oral arguments, the U.S. Justice Department, on behalf of the U.S. government, supported Nestl\u00e9. Deputy Solicitor General Curtis E. Gannon contended that a new act of Congress would be needed to create liability for domestic corporations under the ATS (liability which the lawyer described as corporations being \u201cdiscriminated against\u201d).[36]<\/a><\/sup> Gannon, on behalf of the United States, said the case against Nestl\u00e9 alleging child slavery could \u201cthreaten foreign affairs interests<\/em>\u201d for the U.S. government.[37]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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Chief Justice John Roberts. [Source: wfmynews2.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Upon inquiry from Chief Justice John Roberts as to whether the U.S. government believes a corporation could ever be liable for setting up a U.S. corporation and sending U.S. employees to the Ivory Coast for the express purpose of setting up a cocoa farm that uses child slavery, Gannon responded, \u201cWell, I think that it\u2014it depends on how much conduct happens in the United States and how much conduct happens overseas<\/em>.\u201d [38]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Deputy Solicitor General Curtis Gannon, the U.S. government\u2019s lawyer, famously authored the Justice Department memorandum approving President Trump\u2019s \u201cMuslim Ban\u201d (Executive Order 13769) in 2017, when he was Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for DOJ\u2019s Office of Legal Counsel. Before joining the Justice Department, Gannon worked at the infamous union-busting firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.[39]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
\"Curtis
Curtis E. Gannon [Source: lawyers.justia.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Nestl\u00e9 USA v. Doe<\/em> was dismissed in favor of Nestl\u00e9. The decision was the latest in a series of U.S. rulings imposing strict limits on lawsuits brought in federal court based on human rights abuses abroad.[40]<\/a><\/sup> To make matters worse, which is only possible with the depravity of a corporation like Nestl\u00e9, the company was also alleged to have orchestrated a chocolate price-fixing conspiracy, violating antitrust laws in the sales of its products manufactured with child slave labor.[41]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9\u2019s human slavery supply chain is not exclusive to chocolate. In 2020, a documentary exposed Nespresso\u2019s supply chain use of child labor on Guatemalan farms.[42]<\/a><\/sup> The documentary visited seven farms linked to Nespresso and found children working eight hours a day, six days a week, and who looked as young as eight years old.[43]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Earlier, investigations also found migrants were lured by false promises to work in Thailand\u2019s seafood sector, then kept in debt bondage and degrading conditions. When workers died on the job, it said the bodies were simply \u201cthrown into the water<\/em>.\u201d In 2014, Nestl\u00e9 confirmed the forced labor was part of its supply chain in Thailand.[44]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Waste\u2026 All the Way Down<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nestl\u00e9\u2019s misconduct also includes degradation of the environment and a direct role in causing the current climate crisis.<\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9\u2019s plastic packaging is produced from plastic resin created by petrochemical companies like Exxon, Total, Aramco and Shell. The process of manufacturing plastic, as well as the extraction of the raw materials for it, releases enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, approximately 108M metric tons per year.[45]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Plastic also enters into the product. Concentrations of microplastic in bottles of Nestl\u00e9 Pure Life water were as high as 10,000 pieces of plastic per liter of water, the highest of any brand tested.[46]<\/a><\/sup> Some of the microplastics the researchers found in Nestl\u00e9\u2019s water included polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate.[47]<\/a><\/sup> Nestl\u00e9 was sued in 2018 over the high levels of microplastics, with plaintiffs alleging Nestl\u00e9 \u201cintentionally, negligently and recklessly concealed and omitted the truth\u201d about the plastic contamination.[48]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9 released a statement saying that it had \u201cambitions\u201d for its packaging to be 100% recyclable or reusable by 2025. However, environmental groups and other critics pointed out that Nestl\u00e9 had not released clear targets or a timeline to accompany its ambitions, nor made additional efforts to help facilitate recycling by consumers. [49]<\/a><\/sup> Greenpeace released a statement saying, \u201cNestl\u00e9\u2019s statement on plastic packaging includes more of the same greenwashing baby steps to tackle a crisis it helped to create. It will not actually move the needle toward the reduction of single-use plastics in a meaningful way, and sets an incredibly low standard as the largest food and beverage company in the world.\u201d[50]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"A
[Source: greenpeace.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the organization \u201cBreak Free From Plastic\u201d\u2019s 2020 report, Nestl\u00e9 was named one of the world\u2019s top plastic polluters for the third year in a row.[51]<\/a><\/sup> Nestl\u00e9 even admitted that most of its bottles are not recycled, even while Nestl\u00e9 concurrently flooded the market with misleading advertisements claiming the opposite. Only about 31% of plastic bottles end up getting recycled, creating millions of tons of garbage every year, much of which ends up in landfills or the ocean.[52]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

A single plastic bottle can take anywhere from 450 to 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill.[53]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

After so much controversy, Nestl\u00e9 largely divested from its North American water-bottling hustle, selling most of the business in 2021.[54]<\/a><\/sup> While Nestl\u00e9 is no longer the face of the U.S. bottled water problem, it is still responsible for the damage to the environment and the terrible systems it put in place.<\/p>\n

\"\"
[Source: boucherie-abolition.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nestl\u00e9 was also caught purchasing palm oil from mills with reckless means of production, including chopping down millions of hectares of forests and removing Indigenous peoples from their lands.[55]<\/a><\/sup> In 2010, Greenpeace campaigned for Nestl\u00e9 to end deforestation in its supply chain.<\/p>\n

Nestle\u0301 promised to do so by 2015, but in 2017 Nestle\u0301 noted 47% of its palm oil still came from problematic plantations.[56]<\/a><\/sup> Then in 2019, Nestl\u00e9 was also accused of sourcing palm oil from producers linked to the forest fires in Indonesia.[57]<\/a><\/sup> A recent Global Witness report documented the still ongoing harm, terror and impoverishment of communities due to corporate pursuit of palm oil, including by Nestl\u00e9.[58]<\/a><\/sup> Rest assured, Nestl\u00e9 still claims to be \u201cworking hard<\/em>\u201d on the issue.[59]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"\"
[Source: palmoildetectives.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Further, a former Nespresso executive warned in 2016 that Nespresso pods create extensive waste. Made from a combination of plastics and aluminum, the coffee pods are not biodegradable. It can take between 150 to 500 years for the aluminum and plastic capsules to break down in a landfill. In order to recycle the pods, the aluminum capsules have to be shredded, the coffee has to be taken away with water, the varnish has to be burned and the aluminum has to be re-smelted.[60]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Nespresso capsules are not pure aluminum due to Nestl\u00e9\u2019s intellectual property and anti-competitive interests: The capsules contain silicon as part of a patent which was used to prevent rivals from making their own pods that could work in Nespresso machines.[61]<\/a><\/sup> As of 2019, 70% of Nespresso pods were assumed to be headed to landfills.[62]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
Eug\u00e8ne Schueller [Source: edanafashion.wordpress.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

L\u2019Or\u00e9al has its own shameful history, starting with the company\u2019s founder, known Nazi sympathizer Eug\u00e8ne Schueller.[63]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

L\u2019Or\u00e9al faced protests and boycotts due to testing cosmetics on animals,[64]<\/a><\/sup> suspected use of child labor to obtain mica for cosmetics,[65]<\/a><\/sup> deceptive advertising,[66]<\/a><\/sup> and high levels of lead in lipstick products.[67]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

L\u2019Or\u00e9al also allegedly uses carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in its beauty products, including: formaldehyde, PFOAs, carbon black, titanium dioxide, BHA and others.[68]<\/a><\/sup> L\u2019Or\u00e9al is currently facing numerous lawsuits over PFAS contents in its beauty products.[69]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"A
[Source: whathappensinthechairstaysinthechair.blogspot.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nestl\u00e9\u2019s food products have also been found to contain not just toxic chemicals, but also low-quality filler products, including a \u201chorsemeat\u201d scandal in one of its pasta brands in 2013.[70]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

A Friend of Paramilitaries<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nestl\u00e9 apparently does not care who it harms with its supply chain or marketing, so why would labor rights be any different?<\/p>\n

In the U.S., the National Labor Relations Board\u2019s public database shows 169 Unfair Labor Practice charges filed against Nestl\u00e9 (though there may be more under the names of other subsidiaries).[71]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In one recent case, the NLRB found against Nestl\u00e9 USA in 2020, issuing an order against the corporation for unfair labor practices at a Wisconsin facility that produces DiGiorno pizza.[72]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
[Source: wpr.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The NLRB ordered Nestl\u00e9 USA to cease and desist from, among other things: coercively interrogating employees about their protected concerted activities, and suspending or discharging employees because they engage in protected concerted activities.\u201d [73]<\/a><\/sup> The Board ordered Nestl\u00e9 to post a notice to employees admitting it violated federal labor laws and promising to follow federal labor laws going forward. [74]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The year before, a report by AFL-CIO alleged that Nestle\u0301 had been involved in several workers\u2019 rights abuses, that Nestle\u0301 USA management had continually interfered with workers\u2019 organizing rights, and Nestle\u0301 was involved in anti-union campaigning.[75]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9\u2019s union busting is deadly in South America. A Colombian trade unionist, Luciano Romero, campaigned for the rights of workers at Nestl\u00e9\u2019s factory in Colombia for years, including documenting violations of human rights at the factory. Before his murder, Romero was repeatedly falsely branded as a guerrilla fighter by the local representatives of Nestl\u00e9. He was also accused, without grounds, of being responsible for a bombing on the factory premises in 1999. In Colombia, a defamation of this kind can effectively amount to a death sentence.[76]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In September 2005, Luciano Romero was stabbed 50 times in a murder by paramilitaries.[77]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In 2006, Nestl\u00e9 and the paramilitary members were sued for the murder of Romero, as the company had a long-standing relationship with the paramilitary forces and Romero\u2019s widow alleged the murder was in retaliation for his blowing the whistle on Nestl\u00e9\u2019s use of expired milk in its popular Milo brand drink.[78]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"A
[Source: lawanddisorder.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2007, Romero\u2019s killers were convicted and, while passing sentence, the judge also ordered an investigation into the role of management at the Nestl\u00e9 subsidiary where Romero worked.[79]<\/a><\/sup> A criminal complaint was filed against Nestl\u00e9 in Swiss courts in 2012, but then dismissed in 2013 due to the statute of limitations having expired.[80]<\/a><\/sup> The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights then submitted a complaint calling on the European Court of Human Rights to examine the judiciary that dismissed the complaint, which was also promptly dismissed.[81]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In 2012, a flyer was left at the home of Rafael Esquivel, another Nestl\u00e9 labor union leader, with a death threat stating \u201cyou will have to be exterminated, you have until first December to disappear from Valle, otherwise you will see blood running on second December.\u201d<\/em>[82]<\/a><\/sup> In 2013, more death threats were sent to dozens of trade union members and human rights defenders, including other members of a Nestl\u00e9 labor union.[83]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In 2013, the same trade union Romero had worked with accused Nestl\u00e9 of ordering the murder of Oscar L\u00f3pez Trevino, who had worked for the company for 25 years. Trevino was shot and killed by paramilitaries that year, following the initiation of a hunger strike campaign by workers against Nestl\u00e9 over unfulfilled labor agreements.[84]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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Oscar L\u00f3pez Trevino [Source: teamsternation.blogspot.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Today, Nestl\u00e9 has a page on its website entitled \u201cDoes Nestl\u00e9 allow labor unions?\u201d which Nestl\u00e9 answers: \u201cNestl\u00e9 supports collective dialogue and negotiations with employee unions\u2026wherever local legislation applies\u2026Nestl\u00e9 suppliers should allow Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining, unless government policies or other norms prevent them from doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9\u2019s own website says it does not believe suppliers need to allow for human rights if it is contrary to local \u201cnorms.\u201d[85]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Spying on Critics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nestl\u00e9 is just as bad with its critics. In 2003, Nestl\u00e9 used a private security company to infiltrate the anti-globalization group ATTAC. Nestl\u00e9 planted a spy who joined ATTAC\u2019s editorial board and monitored ATTAC\u2019s research and drafting of a book criticizing Nestl\u00e9\u2019s practices that was published in 2004 (\u201cAttac Contre L\u2019Empire Nestl\u00e9\u201d)<\/em>.[86]<\/a><\/sup> The spy even attended workgroup meetings at members\u2019 homes.[87]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The spy was employed by a company called Securitas and run by a former MI6 officer working for Nestl\u00e9. ATTAC took legal action over the breach and expressed concern that trade unionists at Nestl\u00e9 sites in Colombia who have been targeted by paramilitaries may have been put in danger.[88]<\/a><\/sup> Nestl\u00e9 was found liable for the spying and a Swiss court ordered Nestl\u00e9 and its security company to pay compensation .[89]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Just this year, Nestle\u0301 was caught offering \u201cquid pro quos\u201d to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an influential U.S. policy group.[90]<\/a><\/sup> Nestle\u0301 was identified as a top \u201ccontributor,\u201d sending the policy group hundreds of thousands of dollars.[91]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"A
Boycott Nestl\u00e9 poster from 1978. [Source: zmscience.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taking Until There Is Nothing Left<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There appears to be no line that Nestl\u00e9 is unwilling to cross, with a key example being Ethiopia.<\/p>\n

Following 30 years of wars and famines, the people of Ethiopia were suffering terribly in the 1990s.[92]<\/a><\/sup> Nestl\u00e9 acquired a company whose subsidiary was nationalized by the Ethiopian government in 1975 (decades prior) and then sold in 1998.[93]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In 2001, despite the struggles in Ethiopia, Nestl\u00e9 filed a claim for $6 million from the Ethiopian government, \u201cas a matter of principle<\/em>.\u201d[94]<\/a><\/sup> $6 million is only 0.01% of Nestle\u0301\u02bcs annual sales, but would be a devastating loss to an already struggling country.[95]<\/a><\/sup> Nestl\u00e9 eventually reduced the request to $1.5M following public outrage.[96]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nestl\u00e9\u2019s rebuttal to most accusations of misconduct is essentially to claim it is an ethical, caring and child-friendly teddy-bear of a transnational corporation which just does not know what goes on in its supply chain and always wants to do better, but is constantly harassed by hateful critics. When caught red-handed, Nestl\u00e9 is then willing to point to IG Farben and use the legal precedent from the Holocaust to argue why it should be granted impunity for egregious human rights abuses.<\/p>\n

Since 2000, only considering the United States, Nestl\u00e9 and its subsidiaries were cited for more than a hundred legal violations, facing $27 million in fines.[97]<\/a><\/sup> One must ask: Is all of this misconduct and devastation contributing to anything actually beneficial to society? No. Nestl\u00e9, a food company, has recently acknowledged that more than 60% of its food and drink products do not meet a \u201crecognized definition of health\u201d and that some products \u201cwill never be healthy.\u201d[98]<\/a><\/sup> Nestl\u00e9 does not even sell food with nutritional value. Nestl\u00e9 sells terrible ideas and filler, produced through human rights violations, but which drive billions in profit for the soulless corporation.<\/p>\n

However, as terrible as Nestl\u00e9 is, it is only one head of the corporate hydra. There are many others. We can talk about protests and boycotts\u2014we can write expos\u00e9s and file lawsuits\u2014but this only attempts to hold the line. To actually stop the downward spiral, we must abolish the atrocity of capitalism and globalization that is the multinational corporation.<\/p>\n

While claiming corporations have the rights of a human, yet also requiring these corporations to only prioritize shareholder profit and pleasure, we have created a demented Dionysian monster that happily views fiscal opportunity in the destruction of humanity.<\/p>\n

We cannot sit back and hope the United States will intervene for the benefit of the common good. When the democratically elected government of Guatemala decided to impose obligations on real estate owned by the United Fruit Company, the U.S. violently overthrew that government. When Chile elected a socialist president who wanted to nationalize copper mines, that democratic government was destroyed by the U.S. and replaced with a dictatorship headed by General Augusto Pinochet.[99]<\/a><\/sup> The U.S. has a long history of siding with corporate interests at all costs.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Diego Rivera\u2019s famous painting \u201cGlorious Victory\u201d about United Fruit and the 1954 coup in Guatemala, hanging in Moscow\u2019s Pushkin Museum. [Source: pinterest.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With Nestl\u00e9, the United States has already worked to fight lawsuits and dismiss charges attempting to hold Nestl\u00e9 accountable for horrendous human rights violations. The U.S. is apparently happy to race to the bottom, hand-in-hand with these monstrous corporations. The corporation and the state have already become one institution, with extensive centralized economic power, and increasingly destructive behavior.<\/p>\n

We need a global awakening and revolution by the people. As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said in 1809: \u201cNone are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.\u201d We are not free and together we are our only hope to stop this downward spiral of environmental degradation and human rights abuses.<\/p>\n

NOTES:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u201cThe Case Against Nestl\u00e9,\u201d Lakota People\u2019s Law Project, June 14, 2018, https:\/\/lakotalaw.org\/news\/2018-06-13\/the-case-against-Nestl\u00e9 \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Nestl\u00e9,\u201cCorporate Governance Report 2021; Compensation Report 2021; Financial Statements 2021\u201d (\u201cCorporate Governance Report 2021\u201d), 2022, https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106174601\/https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-03\/2021-corp-governance-compensation-financial-statements-en.pdf<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. \u201cBrands,\u201d Nestl\u00e9, https:\/\/www.Nestle.com\/brands<\/a>; \u201cBrands,\u201d Nestl\u00e9 USA, https:\/\/www.Nestl\u00e9usa.com\/brands<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Nestl\u00e9, \u201cCorporate Governance Report 2021.\u201d. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. L\u2019Or\u00e9al, \u201cOur Global Brands,\u201d https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106174728\/https:\/\/www.loreal.com\/en\/our-global-brands-portfolio\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. World Health Organizattion, \u201cBreastfeeding,\u201d https:\/\/www.who.int\/health-topics\/breastfeeding<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Stephen Solomon, \u201cThe Controversy Over Infant Formula,\u201d The New York Times Magazine<\/em>, December 6, 1981, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1981\/12\/06\/magazine\/the-controversy-over-infant-formula.html<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Martha Rosenberg, \u201cBig Food Wants You To Believe Obesity is Caused by Lack of Exercise not Junk Food and the Spin Is Working<\/a>,\u201d CounterPunch<\/em>, August 24, 2018, https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/08\/24\/big-food-wants-you-to-believe-obesity-is-caused-by-lack-of-exercise-not-junk-food-and-the-spin-is-working\/<\/a>\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Solomon, \u201cThe Controversy Over Infant Formula.\u201d \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. \u201cThe Build Up to the Nestl\u00e9 Boycott,\u201d The Boycott Book<\/em>, http:\/\/www.theboycottbook.com\/thebuildup.pdf \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Solomon, \u201cThe Controversy Over Infant Formula.\u201d \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  12. Joanna Moorhead, \u201cMilking It,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, May 15, 2007, http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/business\/2007\/may\/15\/medicineandhealth.lifeandhealth \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  13. Chris Zhang, \u201cWhere Is China\u2019s Corruption Crackdown,\u201d The Diplomat<\/em>, July 21, 2017, https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2017\/07\/where-is-chinas-corruption-crackdown\/ \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  14. Nestl\u00e9, \u201cNestl\u00e9 completes acquisition of Pfizer Nutrition, enhancing its position in global infant nutrition,\u201d December 1, 2012, https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106174831\/https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/media\/pressreleases\/allpressreleases\/pfizer-nutrition-closing<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  15. Nestl\u00e9, \u201c\u201cLeading the Way: Responsible Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes, 2019 Report,\u201d 2020, https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106174835\/https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-08\/who-code-compliance-annual-report-2019.pdf<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  16. World Health Organization, \u201cEnding exploitative marketing of formula milk,\u201d February 23, 2022, https:\/\/www.who.int\/teams\/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent-health-and-ageing\/formula-milk-industry<\/a>; Swissinfo<\/em>, \u201cWHO Slams Baby Milk Industry,\u201d https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/business\/who-slams-baby-milk-industry-for-rampant\u2013manipulative\u2013marketing\/47369706 \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  17. Tamara Pearson, \u201cThe Horrific Scam That Water Billionaires Are Running on Poor Countries,\u201d CounterPunch<\/em>, March 21, 2022, https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2022\/03\/21\/the-horrific-scam-that-water-billionaires-are-running-on-poor-countries\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  18. Nestl\u00e9, \u201cCorporate Governance Report 2021.\u201d \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  19. Tom Perkins, \u201cThe Fight to stop Nestl\u00e9 from taking America\u2019s water to sell in plastic bottles,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, October 29, 2019, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2019\/oct\/29\/the-fight-over-water-how-nestle-dries-up-us-creeks-to-sell-water-in-plastic-bottles<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  20. Elizabeth Whitman, \u201cThe Ad Campaign that Convinced Americans to Pay for Water,\u201d Priceonomics<\/em>, June 10, 2016, https:\/\/priceonomics.com\/the-ad-campaign-that-convinced-americans-to-pay\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  21. George White,\u201c$2.6-Billion Nestle Bid Ends Battle for Perrier,\u201d Los Angeles Times, <\/em>March 25, 1992, https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/archives\/la-xpm-1992-03-25-fi-4379-story.html<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  22. George James, \u201cPerrier Recalls Its Water in U.S. After Benzene Is Found in Bottles,\u201d The<\/em> New York Times<\/em>, February 10, 1990, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1990\/02\/10\/us\/perrier-recalls-its-water-in-us-after-benzene-is-found-in-bottles.html<\/a>; \u201cPerrier Pays New York $40,000 in Labeling Inquiry,\u201d The<\/em> New York Times<\/em>, August 21, 1991, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1991\/08\/21\/garden\/perrier-pays-new-york-40000-in-labeling-inquiry.html<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  23. Perkins, \u201cThe Fight to stop Nestl\u00e9 from taking America\u2019s water to sell in plastic bottles .\u201d \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  24. Pearson, \u201cThe Horrific Scam That Water Billionaires Are Running on Poor Countries\u201d \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  25. Mohammed Hanif, \u201cLet Them Drink Bottled Water,\u201d The<\/em> New York Times<\/em>, November 23, 2018, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/11\/23\/opinion\/pakistan-water-contamination-bottled.html<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  26. \u201cNestle asked to stop spring water diversions in San Bernardino,\u201d Reuters<\/em>, April 23, 2021, https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/environment\/nestle-asked-stop-spring-water-diversions-san-bernardino-2021-04-23\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  27. Perkins, \u201cThe Fight to stop Nestl\u00e9 from taking America\u2019s water to sell in plastic bottles.\u201d \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  28. Nestl\u00e9, \u201cDoes Peter Brabeck-Letmathe believe that water is a human right?\u201d https:\/\/www.Nestl\u00e9.com\/ask-Nestl\u00e9\/human-rights\/answers\/Nestl\u00e9-chairman-peter-brabeck-letmathe-believes-water-is-a-human-right \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  29. Lela Tolajian, \u201cYour Halloween chocolate may have been harvested by children forced to work in Africa,\u201d USA Today<\/em>, October 29, 2022, https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/2022\/10\/29\/halloween-candy-chocolate-may-tainted-forced-child-labor\/7896991001\/<\/a> ; Peter Whoriskey and Rachel Siegel, \u201cCocoa\u2019s child laborers,\u201d The Washington Post, <\/em>June 5, 2019, https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/graphics\/2019\/business\/hershey-nestle-mars-chocolate-child-labor-west-africa\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  30. \u201cU.S. Supreme Court Holds Claims Against U.S. Corporations for Aiding and Abetting Child Slavery Impermissibly Extraterritorial, Declines to Resolve Domestic Corporate Liability,\u201d American Journal of International Law, <\/em>2021, Vol. 115 Issue 4, pp. 739-44. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  31. Oliver Balch, \u201cMars, Nestl\u00e9 and Hershey to face child slavery lawsuit in US,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, February 12, 2021, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2021\/feb\/12\/mars-Nestle-and-hershey-to-face-landmark-child-slavery-lawsuit-in-us<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  32. \u201cNestl\u00e9 USA v. Doe,\u201d Oyez<\/em>, 2020, https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2020\/19-416 \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  33. Oliver Balch, \u201cMars, Nestl\u00e9 and Hershey to face child slavery lawsuit in US.\u201d \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  34. Nestl\u00e9 USA v. Doe<\/em>, On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2015). \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  35. Peter Whoriskey, \u201cSupreme Court weighs child-slavery case against Nestl\u00e9 USA, Cargill,\u201d The<\/em> Washington Post<\/em>, December 1, 2020, https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2020\/12\/01\/cocoa-supreme-court-child-labor\/<\/a>; Nestl\u00e9 USA v. Doe<\/em>, On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2015). \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  36. Nestl\u00e9 USA v. Doe<\/em>, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 19-416, Oral Arguments, December 1, 2020, https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/oral_arguments\/argument_transcripts\/2020\/19-416_dc8f.pdf \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  37. Nestl\u00e9 USA v. Doe<\/em>, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 19-416, Oral Arguments, December 1, 2020. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  38. Nestl\u00e9 USA v. Doe<\/em>, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 19-416, Oral Arguments, December 1, 2020. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  39. Ryan J. Reilly, \u201cDOJ Releases Legal Memo That Approved Trump\u2019s Refugee Ban,\u201d HuffPost<\/em>, February 2, 2017, https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/olc-memo-refugee-ban_n_5893ac35e4b09bd304ba74d9<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  40. Adam Liptak, \u201cSupreme Court Limits Human Rights Suits Against Corporations,\u201d The New York Times<\/em>, June 17, 2021, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/06\/17\/us\/supreme-court-human-rights-nestle.html<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  41. Jeff Gray, \u201cFormer Nestl\u00e9 Canada CEO may face chocolate price-fixing charge \u2018shortly,\u2019\u201d Globe and Mail<\/em>, December 5, 2012, https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/report-on-business\/industry-news\/the-law-page\/former-nestle-canada-ceo-may-face-chocolate-price-fixing-charge-shortly\/article6013249\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  42. Nestl\u00e9, \u201cWhat is the response to allegations from the Dispatches TV documentary of child labor on Nespresso-associated farms in Guatemala?\u201d https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106180444\/https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/ask-nestle\/human-rights\/answers\/channel-4-dispatches-guatemala-child-labor-allegations-nespresso<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  43. Jamie Doward, \u201cChildren as young as eight picked coffee beans on farms supplying Starbuck,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, March 1, 2020, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2020\/mar\/01\/children-work-for-pittance-to-pick-coffee-beans-used-by-starbucks-and-nespresso<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  44. Katie Nguyen, \u201cCampaigners hope others follow Nestle in admitting and acting on slave labour in its products,\u201d Reuters<\/em>, November 24, 2015, https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/nestle-seafood-idUSL8N13J3YV20151124<\/a>; Annie Kelly, \u201cNestl\u00e9 admits slavery in Thailand while fighting child labour lawsuit in Ivory Coast,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, February 1, 2016, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sustainable-business\/2016\/feb\/01\/nestle-slavery-thailand-fighting-child-labour-lawsuit-ivory-coast<\/a>; Kate Hodal, Chris Kelly, and Felicity Lawrence, \u201cRevealed: Asian slave labour producing prawns for supermarkets in US, UK,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, June 10, 2014, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2014\/jun\/10\/supermarket-prawns-thailand-produced-slave-labour<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  45. SumOfUs, \u201cNestl\u00e9 : the 3rd biggest polluter on the planet,\u201d 2022, https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106180854\/https:\/\/actions.sumofus.org\/a\/nestle-the-4th-biggest-polluter-on-the-planet<\/a>; Break Free From Plastic, \u201cBranded: Brand Audit Report 2021,\u201d https:\/\/www.breakfreefromplastic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/BRAND-AUDIT-REPORT-2021.pdf<\/a>; Center for International Environmental Law, \u201cPlastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet,\u201d May 2019, https:\/\/www.ciel.org\/reports\/plastic-health-the-hidden-costs-of-a-plastic-planet-may-2019\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  46. Graham Readfearn, \u201cWHO launches health review after microplastics found in 90% of bottled water,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, March 14, 2018, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2018\/mar\/15\/microplastics-found-in-more-than-90-of-bottled-water-study-says<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  47. Martin Macias, Jr., \u201cNestle\u2019s \u2018Pure Life\u2019 Water Filled With Plastic, Class Says,\u201d Courthouse News,<\/em> April 13, 2018, https:\/\/www.courthousenews.com\/nestles-pure-life-water-filled-with-plastic-class-says\/ \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  48. Macias, \u201cNestle\u2019s \u2018Pure Life\u2019 Water Filled with Plastic, Class Says.\u201d \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  49. Deena Robinson, \u201c10 Companies Called Out For Greenwashing,\u201d Earth, July 17, 2022, https:\/\/earth.org\/greenwashing-companies-corporations\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  50. Perry Wheeler, \u201cNestl\u00e9 misses the mark with statement on tackling its single-use plastics problem,\u201d Greenpeace, April 10, 2018, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/news\/nestle-aiming-at-100-recyclable-or-reusable-packaging-by-2025\/ \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  51. Break Free From Plastic, \u201cBranded: Global Audit Report.\u201d \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  52. Bruce Watson, \u201cThe troubling evolution of corporate greenwashing,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, August 20, 2016, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sustainable-business\/2016\/aug\/20\/greenwashing-environmentalism-lies-companies<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  53. Heather Kohlmann, \u201c\u2018Environmentally friendly\u2019 bottled water? No such thing,\u201d This<\/em>, May 15, 2009, https:\/\/this.org\/2009\/05\/15\/environment-water-bottle\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  54. \u201cGroups Challenge Nestl\u00e9\u2019s Bottled Water \u2018Greenwashing,\u2019\u201d Polaris Institute<\/em>, December 2, 2008, https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20141022031038\/http:\/www.polarisinstitute.org\/groups_challenge_nestl%C3%A9%E2%80%99s_bottled_water_greenwashing<\/a> [NOTE: I couldn\u2019t find this under \u201cPolaris Institute\u201d although I did find it under \u201cweb.archive\u201d source. However, the \u201cweb archive\u201d source is dated 2014 while the original article, which I found under \u201cCommon Dreams,\u201d is dated December 2, 2008. I would use the following source rather than \u201cweb archive, etc.\u201d: https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/newswire\/2008\/12\/01\/groups-challenge-nestles-bottled-water-greenwashing<\/a> ] \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  55. \u201cThe Case Against Nestl\u00e9,\u201d Lakota People\u2019s Law Project. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  56. Arthur Neslen,\u201cNestl\u00e9, Hershey and Mars \u2018breaking promises over palm oil use,\u2019\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, October 28, 2017, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2017\/oct\/27\/nestle-mars-and-hershey-breaking-promises-over-palm-oil-use-say-campaigners<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  57. \u201cThe true price of palm oil,\u201d Global Witness, June 14, 2022, https:\/\/www.globalwitness.org\/en\/campaigns\/forests\/true-price-palm-oil\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  58. Idem. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  59. Nestl\u00e9, \u201cHuman rights issues in palm oil,\u201d https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106181912\/https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/ask-nestle\/human-rights\/answers\/amnesty-international-report-labour-abuses-palm-oil-supply-chain<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  60. Zoe Ferguson and Margot O\u2019Neill, \u201cFormer Nespresso boss warns coffee pods are killing environment,\u201d Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)<\/em>, August 24, 2016. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  61. Katia Moskvitch, \u201cTurns out coffee pods are actually pretty good for the environment,\u201d WIRED<\/em>, May 3, 2019, https:\/\/www.wired.co.uk\/article\/coffee-pods-nespresso-recycling<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  62. Ferguson and O\u2019Neill, \u201cFormer Nespresso boss warns coffee pods are killing environment.\u201d \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  63. \u201cFather\u2019s Past Haunts French Billionaire,\u201d Forbes<\/em>, March 18, 2005, https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/2005\/03\/18\/cz_sh_0318oreal_bill05.html<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  64. \u201cNestle SA,\u201d Ethical Consumer, https:\/\/www.ethicalconsumer.org\/company-profile\/Nestl\u00e9-sa \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  65. Nicole Mowbray, \u201c\u2018We saw young children clambering out of mines\u2019: The human cost of \u2018glowy\u2019 make-up,\u201d The Telegraph<\/em>, November 19, 2022, https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/beauty\/make-up\/dark-truth-really-inside-make-up\/<\/a>; Doris Rajakumari John, \u201cL\u2019Or\u00e9al: On a Mission for Ethical Mica Mining? Case Centre<\/em>, 2017, https:\/\/www.thecasecentre.org\/products\/view?id=143347<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  66. \u201cLOr\u00e9al Settles FTC Charges Alleging Deceptive Advertising for Anti-Aging Cosmetics,\u201d Federal Trade Commission, June 30, 2014, https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2014\/06\/loreal-settles-ftc-charges-alleging-deceptive-advertising-anti-aging-cosmetics<\/a>; Jonathan Stempel, \u201cU.S. lawsuit claims L\u2019Oreal makes up products to appear being from France,\u201d Reuters<\/em>, February 18, 2022, https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/retail-consumer\/us-lawsuit-claims-loreal-makes-up-products-appear-being-france-2022-02-18\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  67. \u201cLimiting Lead in Lipstick and Other Cosmetics,\u201d Food and Drug Administration (FDA), https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/cosmetics\/cosmetic-products\/limiting-lead-lipstick-and-other-cosmetics<\/a>; Dina ElBoghdady, \u201c400 lipsticks found to contain lead, FDA says,\u201d The Washington Post,<\/em> February 14, 2012, https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/economy\/400-lipstick-brands-contain-lead-fda-says\/2012\/02\/14\/gIQAhOyeDR_story.html<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  68. \u201cL\u2019Oreal: No More Cancer Chemicals in Cosmetics,\u201d Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, https:\/\/www.bcpp.org\/resource\/loreal-no-cancer-chemicals-cosmetics\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  69. John Gardella, \u201cL\u2019Oreal PFAS Lawsuit Shows the Danger of ESG Marketing,\u201d National Law Review<\/em>, March 14, 2022, https:\/\/www.natlawreview.com\/article\/l-oreal-pfas-lawsuit-shows-danger-esg-marketing<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  70. \u201cNestle withdraws pasta meals as horsemeat scandal spreads,\u201d Reuters<\/em>, February 18, 2013, https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/uk-nestle-horsemeat\/nestle-withdraws-pasta-meals-as-horsemeat-scandal-spreads-idUKBRE91H0R920130219<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  71. National Labor Relations Board, https:\/\/www.nlrb.gov\/search\/all\/Nestl\u00e9?f[0]=case_type:C<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  72. Nestl\u00e9 USA Inc and Tou Vang<\/em>, NLRB, Case Number: 18-CA-231008, Decision and Order, March 11, 2020. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  73. Idem. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  74. Idem. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  75. \u201cNestle SA,\u201d Ethical Consumer. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  76. \u201cSpecial Newsletter on the Criminal Complaint Against Nestl\u00e9 in the Case of the Murdered Colombian Trade Unionist Luciano Romero,\u201d European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, https:\/\/media.business-humanrights.org\/media\/documents\/files\/media\/ecchr_-_nestle_special_newsletter.pdf<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  77. Idem. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  78. \u201cILRF sues Nestle for Complicity in Colombian Union Murders,\u201d International Labor Rights Forum, October 26, 2006, https:\/\/laborrights.org\/releases\/ilrf-sues-Nestl\u00e9-complicity-colombian-union-murders<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  79. Brent Patterson, \u201cGroups Seek Prosecution Of Nestle For Murder Of Colombian Trade Unionist,\u201d The Canadians<\/em>, May 20, 2013, https:\/\/canadians.org\/analysis\/update-groups-seek-prosecution-nestle-murder-colombian-trade-unionist\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  80. \u201cNestl\u00e9 lawsuit (re Colombia),\u201d Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, March 5, 2012, https:\/\/www.business-humanrights.org\/en\/latest-news\/nestl%C3%A9-lawsuit-re-colombia\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  81. \u201cNestl\u00e9 precedent case: Murder of trade unionist Romero in Colombia,\u201d ECCHR<\/em>, https:\/\/www.ecchr.eu\/en\/case\/Nestl\u00e9-precedent-case-murder-of-trade-unionist-romero-in-colombia\/ \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  82. \u201cUrgent Action: Trade Unionists Receive More Death Threats,\u201d Amnesty International, November 12, 2012, https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/amr230432012en.pdf<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  83. \u201cIdem. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  84. \u201cThree unionised Nestle workers murdered in Valle del Cauca,\u201d Justice for Colombia, <\/em>May 29, 2018, https:\/\/justiceforcolombia.org\/news\/three-unionised-nestle-workers-murdered-in-valle-del-cauca\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  85. Nestl\u00e9, \u201cDoes Nestl\u00e9 allow labor unions?\u201d https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106183253\/https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/ask-nestle\/human-rights\/answers\/labour-unions-operations<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  86. \u201cSwiss food giant Nestl\u00e9 fined for infiltrating activist group,\u201d Independent, <\/em>January 31, 2013, https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/europe\/swiss-food-giant-nestle-fined-for-infiltrating-activist-group-8474189.html<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  87. James Shotter and Louise Lucas, \u201cNestl\u00e9 found liable over spying on NGO,\u201d CNN<\/em>, January 30, 2013, https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/01\/30\/business\/swizterland-nestle-spying-civil-case\/index.html<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  88. \u201cBaby Milk Action Update,\u201d Baby Milk Action<\/em>, Issue 41, November 2008, http:\/\/archive.babymilkaction.org\/pdfs\/update41.pdf \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  89. James Shotter and Louise Lucas, \u201cNestl\u00e9 found liable over spying on NGO,\u201d Financial Times<\/em>, 2013. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  90. Tom Perkins, \u201cRevealed: group shaping US nutrition receives millions from big food industry,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, December 9, 2022, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/2022\/dec\/09\/academy-nutrition-financial-ties-processed-food-companies-contributions<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  91. Carriedo, A., Pinsky, I., Crosbie, E., Ruskin, G., & Mialon, M., \u201cThe corporate capture of the nutrition profession in the USA: the case of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,\u201d Public Health Nutrition<\/em>, 25(12), 2022, 3568-3582. doi:10.1017\/S1368980022001835 \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  92. \u201cEvil Days: 30 Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia,\u201d Africa Watch, A Division of Human Rights Watch, September 1991, https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/sites\/default\/files\/reports\/Ethiopia919.pdf<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  93. Nestl\u00e9, \u201cNestl\u00e9 And Ethiopian Government Reach Settlement,\u201d January 24, 2003, https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106184353\/https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/media\/pressreleases\/allpressreleases\/ethiopiangovernmentsettlement-24jan03<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  94. Kevin Begley, \u201cThe Tale of Nestle and a Nation in Famine,\u201d CounterPunch<\/em>, December 24, 2002, https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2002\/12\/24\/the-tale-of-nestle-and-a-nation-in-famine<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  95. Idem. \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  96. \u201cNestle $6 Million Claim Against Ethiopia Provokes Controversy,\u201d Voice of America<\/em>, December 21, 2002, https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/a-13-a-2002-12-21-8-Nestl\u00e9-67414107\/383607.html<\/a>; Nestl\u00e9, \u201cNestl\u00e9 And Ethiopian Government Reach Settlement,\u201d January 24, 2003; Nestl\u00e9, \u201cNestl\u00e9 and Ethiopia. A Statement by Nestl\u00e9 CEO Peter Brabeck,\u201d December 23, 2002, https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106184353\/https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/media\/pressreleases\/allpressreleases\/ethiopiastatementbrabeckceo-23dec02<\/a>; Nestl\u00e9, \u201cNestl\u00e9 and Ethiopia. A Statement by Nestl\u00e9 CEO Peter Brabeck,\u201d December 23, 2002, https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230106184353\/https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/media\/pressreleases\/allpressreleases\/ethiopiastatementbrabeckceo-23dec02<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  97. \u201cViolation Tracker: Nestl\u00e9,\u201d Good Jobs First, https:\/\/violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org\/prog.php?parent=Nestl\u00e9 \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  98. Judith Evans, \u201cNestl\u00e9 document says Majority of its food portfolio is unhealthy,\u201d Financial Times<\/em>, May 31, 2021, https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/4c98d410-38b1-4be8-95b2-d029e054f492<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  99. Michael Diamond, \u201cEnding Corporate Tyranny: Solutions to the Plague that Afflicts Us All,\u201d CovertAction Magazine,<\/em> February 18, 2021, https:\/\/covertactionmagazine.com\/2021\/02\/18\/ending-corporate-tyranny-solutions-to-the-plague-that-afflicts-us-all\/<\/a> \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    __________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>Ashley Gjovik is a lawyer, activist, author, and the whistleblower who blew the whistle on Apple in 2021. She specializes in human rights & the common good and has a Bachelor of Science, Juris Doctor, and a Certificate in Public International Law with honors. Email: ashleymgjovik@protonmail.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Go to Original \u2013 covertactionmagazine.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    7 Feb 2023 – From inventing the need for mass-scale baby formula leading to the deaths of infants, to redirecting much needed water from impoverished areas to bottle and sell back to the same communities, to exploiting child labor and slavery, Nestl\u00e9 will stoop to any moral low to make a buck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":229052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[232,550,626,1404,2060],"class_list":["post-229051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-capitalism","tag-capitalism","tag-corruption","tag-greed","tag-nestle","tag-profits"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229051"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284564,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229051\/revisions\/284564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}