Nestle Launches Initiatives in Nutrition, Water and Rural Development
Nestle announces three new company initiatives aimed at creating new partnerships with governments, NGOs and small enterprises. The announcement comes as Nestle launches a two-day forum on Creating Shared Value in New York in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations. The initiatives include an expanded education program focused on nutrition, health and wellness for school-age children around the world; a research and development center in Africa; and a new Nestle Prize in Creating Shared Value, awarded every other year to foster innovative approaches to solve problems of nutrition, water and rural development.
"At Nestle we recognize that our success depends on creating value for people - from the farmers who supply our products, to our employees, to our consumers and the communities where we operate," says Nestle Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe. "Creating Shared Value is not philanthropy or an add-on. We have been integrating the improvement of the lives of workers, families and communities into our core business strategy since the Company's creation in 1866."
>As a first new initiative, the company is launching the Nestle Healthy Kids Global Program. Nestle intends to double the number of countries in which it has nutrition and physical activity education projects by the end of 2011, bringing such schemes to over 100 countries where it operates.
>Secondly, the opening of the Abidjan Research & Development Center in Côte d'Ivoire has a new research program that aims to help increase agricultural productivity and the safety of foods by developing and improving local crops -- such as manioc, corn, millet, coffee and cocoa -- and cereal-based products in the West African region. The R&D Center will also build on Nestle's experience in tree propagation.
>A third initiative, the Nestle Prize in Creating Shared Value provides financial support of up to CHF 500,000 ($461,000) to individuals, NGOs or small enterprises offering innovative solutions to nutritional deficiencies, access to clean water or progress in rural development. Nestle will award the prize every two years.
"At Nestle we recognize that our success depends on creating value for people - from the farmers who supply our products, to our employees, to our consumers and the communities where we operate," says Nestle Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe. "Creating Shared Value is not philanthropy or an add-on. We have been integrating the improvement of the lives of workers, families and communities into our core business strategy since the Company's creation in 1866."
>As a first new initiative, the company is launching the Nestle Healthy Kids Global Program. Nestle intends to double the number of countries in which it has nutrition and physical activity education projects by the end of 2011, bringing such schemes to over 100 countries where it operates.
>Secondly, the opening of the Abidjan Research & Development Center in Côte d'Ivoire has a new research program that aims to help increase agricultural productivity and the safety of foods by developing and improving local crops -- such as manioc, corn, millet, coffee and cocoa -- and cereal-based products in the West African region. The R&D Center will also build on Nestle's experience in tree propagation.
>A third initiative, the Nestle Prize in Creating Shared Value provides financial support of up to CHF 500,000 ($461,000) to individuals, NGOs or small enterprises offering innovative solutions to nutritional deficiencies, access to clean water or progress in rural development. Nestle will award the prize every two years.