Nestle SA said it does not make a profit from its remaining activities in Russia, as the world’s largest food maker increasingly comes under pressure to completely stop operating in the country amid the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday called out Nestle for still doing business in Russia in a streamed speech to thousands of protesters in the Swiss capital, Bern.
Earlier this month, the Swiss company halted shipments of non-essential products to Russia, such as Nespresso capsules and San Pellegrino bottled water. However, it keeps selling baby food, cereals and some pet foods there.
Photo: AFP
“We do not make a profit from our remaining activities,” a spokesperson said by e-mail. “The fact that we, like other food companies, supply the population with important food does not mean that we simply continue as before.”
The Ukrainian government has been singling Nestle out as one of the companies that has not fully suspended activities in Russia.
Swiss Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal last week posted on Twitter that Nestle chief executive officer Mark Schneider has shown no understanding and that he hoped he would soon change his mind.
Shmyhal’s comment elicited responses calling for the boycott of Nestle products and shows the growing pressure on multinationals that keep businesses open in Russia. The war has spurred an exodus from that market by US, European and other companies after the invasion of Ukraine.
“We are doing whatever we can in Ukraine and neighboring countries to help alleviate this humanitarian catastrophe,” Nestle said. “We are still one of the few active food companies in Ukraine and sometimes even manage to distribute food in Kharkiv.”
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