Moscow: Nestlé has bowed to pressure and stopped the local production and sales of non-essential goods such as KitKats and Nesquik in Russia.
The food and drinks group announced this week that it had stopped the import and export of non-essential goods but said on Wednesday that it was also stopping the vast majority of its local production of such items including coffee, confectionery and pet food. Only production of a limited number of essential items, such as baby food, food for hospital use and some basic pet food will now continue.
“Going forward, we are suspending renowned Nestlé brands such as KitKat and Nesquik, among others,” it said. “We have already halted non-essential imports and exports into and out of Russia, stopped all advertising, and suspended all capital investment in the country. Of course, we are fully complying with all international sanctions on Russia.”
Nestlé added that it is not expecting to be profitable in Russia, but will donate any profit it does make to humanitarian relief organizations.
It faced growing criticism in recent days for remaining in Russia, even as many international companies and global brands have suspended operations in the country, and, in some cases, its ally Belarus.
