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In the first quarter of 2008, the Nestlé group reached consolidated Swiss franc sales of 25.7 billion, up CHF 1.5 billion or 6.0% over the same period last year.

Reported sales benefited from a strong organic growth of 9.8%, including 4.5% real internal growth. Food and Beverages also delivered 9.8% organic growth, of which 4.2% consisted of real internal growth.

Acquisitions, net of divestitures, added another 3.2% to Group sales, primarily due to the acquisition of Gerber and Novartis Medical Nutrition in 2007. The net currency effect reduced reported group sales by 7% due to the strength of the Swiss franc compared to most other currencies.

Paul Bulcke, CEO of Nestlé, said: "The strong start to the year reflects Nestlé's momentum as the world's leading nutrition, health and wellness company. On the basis of this high-quality growth, with a good balance between real internal growth and pricing, I'm confident that we will achieve our 2008 targets: organic growth approaching the 2007 level together with improved EBIT margins in constant currencies."