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Ukrainian anti-corruption agency labels Nestlé a sponsor of war
FoodBev Media

FoodBev Media

3 November 2023

Ukrainian anti-corruption agency labels Nestlé a sponsor of war

The Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) has added Nestlé to an “international sponsors of war” register, a list of companies which still operate and potentially make profit in Russia. Nestlé's product portfolio includes more than 2,000 brands worldwide, including KitKat and Nescafé. The NACP has also accused the Russian branch of the company of covering up its taxes and profits for fear of international pressure, and of importing technical equipment into Russia under the guise of milk powder “as evidenced by the court proceedings of Moscow Arbitration Court”. Nestlé responded to being added to the register by referring to an online statement they released earlier this year: “Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, we have drastically reduced our portfolio in Russia and implemented the actions we announced in March 2022. We refocused our activities on delivering essential and basic foods to the local people and suspended the vast majority of SKUs from our pre-war portfolio in the country. We have halted non-essential imports and exports into and out of Russia.” The company also claims to have stopped advertising in Russia, suspended capital investment in the country and says that it is fully complying with all applicable international sanctions. Nestlé claims that “for the foreseeable future, these measures will apply as our operations in Russia remain focused on providing essential and basic foods to the local people.” Nestlé is not alone on the register with Mars and PepsiCo having been added in September this year and Bacardi in August 2023.

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