Nestle plays down RFK Jr’s anti-packaged food rhetoric

Vevey, Switzerland | Reuters — Nestle on Tuesday sought to play down any differences with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been critical of packaged foods, saying it shared the next U.S. health agency chief’s desire to improve agricultural practices and nutrition.

Kennedy, picked last week by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to head the Department of Health and Human Services, said during his own presidential campaign that he wanted to “Make America Healthy Again” and called out Kellogg’s Fruit Loops cereal in an interview two weeks ago.

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Nestle is the world’s biggest packaged foods group with products ranging from KitKat snacks and Nescafe coffee to Maggi noodles and Purina pet foods.

Speaking on the sidelines of Nestle’s capital markets day for investors, Steve Presley, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Nestle’s North America business, told Reuters he was “less concerned” by Kennedy’s previous comments.

“If you step back from some of the emotional issues, what he believes in is more regenerative, cleaner agriculture, which we fully believe in,” he said.

Presley said Nestle, whose U.S. brands include Nesquik drinks, Hot Pockets and Stouffer’s frozen ready meals, had worked with the current U.S. administration and would work with the next.

“We have spoken to the (Trump transition) team absolutely as one of the largest manufacturers, both from an industry perspective and to help shape the agenda in terms of how they can help create economic opportunity in the U.S.”

Packaged foods stocks – from Kellogg to Coca-Cola Co and Nestle – fell on Friday when Kennedy’s appointment was announced.

“It’s still early,” said Presley. “What was campaign rhetoric and what will move to policy?”

Presley said Nestle, which is in 97 per cent of all U.S. households, had been driving changes for years around nutrition and health.

For instance, in 2019 the Swiss group said it would give its food products ratings according to their nutritional value so customers could better gauge the healthiness of their shopping.

“So for us, is it still too early to tell? Yes. But do we believe in the idea of better agricultural practices? Absolutely. Do we believe in better nutritional product profiles in the categories? We do.”