Nestle halts sales of KitKat bars and Nesquik in Russia

NESTLÉ, the world’s largest food company, has stopped selling KitKat bars and Nesquik mix in Russia.

It follows criticism of his presence in the post-presidential country Wladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

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Yesterday Nestlé said it would “suspend the vast majority of our pre-war volume in Russia” and reduce its offering to items such as baby food and medical nutrition.

The Swiss group said this approach “upholds the principle of guaranteeing the fundamental right to food”.

Last week, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal of Ukraine tweeted that he had spoken to Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider about “the side effect of staying in the Russian market.”

Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called on several companies to remain in Russia.

Nestlé made around £1.4 billion in revenue from Russia last year.

More than 400 companies scaled back operations during the invasion.

However, consumer goods companies have been more reluctant to shut down operations, citing their large number of employees in the country and the provision of basic necessities.

French group DANONE said yesterday it would continue local production of key milk and baby food products in Russia but had severed other ties with the country.