Nestle SA said it doesn’t 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 Zelenskiy called out Nestle for still doing business in Russia in a streamed speech to thousands of protesters in Switzerland’s capital of Bern on Saturday. 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.
“We do not make a profit from our remaining activities,” a spokesperson said by email. “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 hasn’t fully suspended activities in Russia. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal sent a tweet last week, saying that Chief Executive Officer Mark Schneider has shown no understanding and that he hoped he would soon change his mind.
“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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