Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
This is the story of Nestlé: child slavery, fraud, water profiteering, toxic baby food, and the Nestlé baby formula scandal: contributing to the deaths of 11 million infants in the developing world.
Patreon: patreon.com/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Leave a tip: paypal.me/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Twitter: twitter.com/grockallschmidt
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/grockallschmidt.bsky.social
Sources (abbreviated for character limit)
Intro
businessinsider.com/10-companies-control-the-food-industry-2016-9
removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/business/dealbook/nestle-chocolate-milk-coffee-history.html
https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/news/article/7797/2015-02-27-nasty-nazi-business/
web.archive.org/web/20230418041452/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1516430.stm
Baby Formula & Food
cdc.gov/breastfeeding/features/breastfeeding-benefits.html
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27846197
nytimes.com/1981/12/06/magazine/the-controversy-over-infant-formula.html
waronwant.org/sites/default/files/THE%20BABY%20KILLER%201974.pdf
web.archive.org/web/20250111145826/https://www.businessinsider.com/nestles-infant-formula-scandal-2012-6#nestl-was-accused-of-getting-third-world-mothers-hooked-on-formula-2
voxdev.org/topic/health/deadly-toll-marketing-infant-formula-low-and-middle-income-countries
nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w24452/w24452.pdf
theguardian.com/business/2007/may/15/medicineandhealth.lifeandhealth
thelancet.com/series-do/breastfeeding-2023
oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-oversight.house.gov/files/ECP%20Second%20Baby%20Food%20Report%209.29.21%20FINAL.pdf
reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/several-companies-must-face-lawsuit-over-tainted-baby-food-us-judge-rules-2025-04-03
abc3340.com/news/spotlight-on-america/part-2-evidence-shows-major-baby-food-makers-ignored-warnings-about-toxic-contamination
Junk Food, Recalls, Political Spending
https://archive.is/20210610065943/https://www.ft.com/content/4c98d410-38b1-4be8-95b2-d029e054f492
mashed.com/1650084/biggest-recalls-in-nestle-history
opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/summary?cycle=2022&id=D000042332
Pets
theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/13/wednesday-briefing-vet-costs-uk-cost-of-living
bbc.com/news/articles/c62zzegvk33o
Child Slavery
theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/sep/02/child-labour-on-nestle-farms-chocolate-giants-problems-continue
washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/business/hershey-nestle-mars-chocolate-child-labor-west-africa
theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/12/mars-nestle-and-hershey-to-face-landmark-child-slavery-lawsuit-in-us
bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57522186
Water
https://e360.yale.edu/digest/wall-street-begins-trading-water-futures-as-a-commodity
removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/the-human-rights-and-wrongs-of-nestle-and-water-for-all-1.303517
courthousenews.com/nestles-water-pumping-deal-approved-in-maine
removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/20/business/suit-disputes-integrity-of-poland-spring-water.html#google_vignette
forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2012/10/19/nestle-sued-again-for-falsely-representing-bottled-tap-water-as-naturally-spring-sourced
theguardian.com/business/2019/mar/28/nestle-lawsuit-poland-spring-water-groundwater
removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/business/poland-spring-water.html
newsweek.com/poland-spring-maine-water-supply-federal-lawsuit-spring-water-2009334
theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/29/the-fight-over-water-how-nestle-dries-up-us-creeks-to-sell-water-in-plastic-bottles
spectrumnews1.com/ca/southern-california/la-times-today/2022/02/10/the-fight-over-the-source-of-arrowhead-bottled-water-
theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/27/california-nestle-water-san-bernardino-forest-drought
latimes.com/environment/story/2022-01-20/environmentalists-fight-to-shut-down-bottled-water-operation
theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/29/nestle-pays-200-a-year-to-bottle-water-near-flint-where-water-is-undrinkable
propublica.org/article/michigan-bottled-water-whitmer-flint
clickondetroit.com/consumer/2018/07/18/residents-outraged-by-new-water-deal-allowing-nestle-to-pump-millions-of-gallons-from-michigan
theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/05/nestle-bottled-water-michigan-osceola-private-public
nytimes.com/2025/05/21/business/perrier-nestle-france-macron-water-scandal.html
Misc
theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/nestle-chairman-climate-change-controversy-peter-brabeck
This is the story of Nestlé: child slavery, fraud, water profiteering, toxic baby food, and the Nestlé baby formula scandal: contributing to the deaths of 11 million infants in the developing world.
Patreon: patreon.com/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Leave a tip: paypal.me/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Twitter: twitter.com/grockallschmidt
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/grockallschmidt.bsky.social
Sources (abbreviated for character limit)
Intro
businessinsider.com/10-companies-control-the-food-industry-2016-9
removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/business/dealbook/nestle-chocolate-milk-coffee-history.html
https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/news/article/7797/2015-02-27-nasty-nazi-business/
web.archive.org/web/20230418041452/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1516430.stm
Baby Formula & Food
cdc.gov/breastfeeding/features/breastfeeding-benefits.html
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27846197
nytimes.com/1981/12/06/magazine/the-controversy-over-infant-formula.html
waronwant.org/sites/default/files/THE%20BABY%20KILLER%201974.pdf
web.archive.org/web/20250111145826/https://www.businessinsider.com/nestles-infant-formula-scandal-2012-6#nestl-was-accused-of-getting-third-world-mothers-hooked-on-formula-2
voxdev.org/topic/health/deadly-toll-marketing-infant-formula-low-and-middle-income-countries
nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w24452/w24452.pdf
theguardian.com/business/2007/may/15/medicineandhealth.lifeandhealth
thelancet.com/series-do/breastfeeding-2023
oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-oversight.house.gov/files/ECP%20Second%20Baby%20Food%20Report%209.29.21%20FINAL.pdf
reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/several-companies-must-face-lawsuit-over-tainted-baby-food-us-judge-rules-2025-04-03
abc3340.com/news/spotlight-on-america/part-2-evidence-shows-major-baby-food-makers-ignored-warnings-about-toxic-contamination
Junk Food, Recalls, Political Spending
https://archive.is/20210610065943/https://www.ft.com/content/4c98d410-38b1-4be8-95b2-d029e054f492
mashed.com/1650084/biggest-recalls-in-nestle-history
opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/summary?cycle=2022&id=D000042332
Pets
theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/13/wednesday-briefing-vet-costs-uk-cost-of-living
bbc.com/news/articles/c62zzegvk33o
Child Slavery
theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/sep/02/child-labour-on-nestle-farms-chocolate-giants-problems-continue
washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/business/hershey-nestle-mars-chocolate-child-labor-west-africa
theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/12/mars-nestle-and-hershey-to-face-landmark-child-slavery-lawsuit-in-us
bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57522186
Water
https://e360.yale.edu/digest/wall-street-begins-trading-water-futures-as-a-commodity
removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/the-human-rights-and-wrongs-of-nestle-and-water-for-all-1.303517
courthousenews.com/nestles-water-pumping-deal-approved-in-maine
removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/20/business/suit-disputes-integrity-of-poland-spring-water.html#google_vignette
forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2012/10/19/nestle-sued-again-for-falsely-representing-bottled-tap-water-as-naturally-spring-sourced
theguardian.com/business/2019/mar/28/nestle-lawsuit-poland-spring-water-groundwater
removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/business/poland-spring-water.html
newsweek.com/poland-spring-maine-water-supply-federal-lawsuit-spring-water-2009334
theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/29/the-fight-over-water-how-nestle-dries-up-us-creeks-to-sell-water-in-plastic-bottles
spectrumnews1.com/ca/southern-california/la-times-today/2022/02/10/the-fight-over-the-source-of-arrowhead-bottled-water-
theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/27/california-nestle-water-san-bernardino-forest-drought
latimes.com/environment/story/2022-01-20/environmentalists-fight-to-shut-down-bottled-water-operation
theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/29/nestle-pays-200-a-year-to-bottle-water-near-flint-where-water-is-undrinkable
propublica.org/article/michigan-bottled-water-whitmer-flint
clickondetroit.com/consumer/2018/07/18/residents-outraged-by-new-water-deal-allowing-nestle-to-pump-millions-of-gallons-from-michigan
theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/05/nestle-bottled-water-michigan-osceola-private-public
nytimes.com/2025/05/21/business/perrier-nestle-france-macron-water-scandal.html
Misc
theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/nestle-chairman-climate-change-controversy-peter-brabeck
