Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, it has led millions to boycott brands and businesses that either support Israel or profit from its illegal occupation of Palestine. These boycotts not only reflect political solidarity but also demonstrate how consumer choices can influence corporate behavior. As boycotts impacted businesses financially, many Pakistanis realized that corporations may not always align with their interests. One such business is the Swiss-origin corporation, Nestlé. However, Nestlé’s boycotts began long before the war in Gaza.

It is a company so large that chances are, if you’ve ever been to a grocery store, you have likely come in contact with one of its products. Founded in 1866, the corporation has solidified its presence in 185 countries, with more than 2,000 brands under its name. It is a prime example of a business that prioritizes profit over consumers, ethics, and internationally accepted codes of conduct. It claims that its products, ranging from bottled drinks and cereal to chocolate, confectionery, ice cream, coffee, and baby products, align with consumer health and nutrition. The company showcases this through providing nutritious options with added vitamins and minerals, as well as healthier snack alternatives. At least that is what they claim in their marketing campaigns and packaging.

The most noteworthy controversy of Nestlé is the Baby Formula Scandal. Nestlé pioneered baby formula as a substitute for breastmilk but quickly realized that its customer base is small, as most mothers do not need substitutes. Any reasonable company would have left it at that, but Nestlé decided to manipulate and take advantage of parents trying to give their children a healthy life. The story initially broke in the 1970s and was then expanded on in the 80s. It concerned the infant deaths that took place due to the diseases caused by baby formula in African, South American, and Caribbean countries, yet it managed to reach the Pakistani maternity wards in the 1990s.

Despite being deemed “The Baby Killer,” Nestlé’s baby formulas were promoted in Pakistan, which was next to their target of countries of low and middle-income markets that lacked policies to stop them and had a large population of illiterate parents. Nestlé promoted the formula as a modern, superior alternative to breastmilk using unethical tactics, including giving away free supplies in hospitals. Nestlé’s salespersons (saleswomen and men dressed in nurses’ uniforms) would give free samples of the baby formula to new mothers in maternity wards, and once the mother stops producing breastmilk due to it not being utilized, the formula becomes the single source of nutrition for the baby.

Regardless of whether or not it was affordable to the parents. They had become........

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