Do people have exceptions to their Nestle boycott?

[BelfastRingingOutForXmasBloke]

Lots of mentions on MN about eating Quality Street around Christmas time.

If you boycott Nestle, is that just a general guideline or is it a total ban?

I admit I can't turn down a Matchmaker.

Alpine....people have been sending money to AFrica since the early 1950s. They should have enough wells by now. Sadly the money ends up in the wrong hands (usually CEOs before it even leaves the country).

I've been boycotting Nestle for approximately 30 years with no discernible impact on them. There has been some impact on me: I'm probably slimmer (not saying much) than if I'd continued to enjoy After Eights (since Nestle bought Rowntree). But I have to admit that since having children I have weakened: I no longer keep to up to date with every company Nestle owns (didn't know they had Body Shop for example until reading this thread), and I will buy Fab ice lollies since reading in Ethical Consumer that they are not made by Nestle but just use their brand. I have also bought Rowntrees jelly for the children when nothing else was available, because I wasn't certain I was justified in witholding jelly from toddlers to make a dent of 0.5p in Nestle's profits.

It was much easier to be a political shopper pre-children. I boycotted many products including all those from Nestle. Since having children I have just not found boycotting to be a practical political approach, because I didn't have time to source alternatives; the children would have outgrown their fair-trade free-range clothing before I'd found a supply which met all my criteria. And I do worry that I am unfairly denying them Smarties (which I loved as a child), and various other products, for my own political agenda but with so little benefit that it doesn't justify denying them these little pleasures.

I will always accept an After Eight though, just not buy them myself.

I boycott, I turn down Nestle chocs if offered. Swapped dog food when I learned that Purina is Nestle owned. Etc.

I do miss some of the chocolate though - drifters, lion bars, aero's. But I would rather miss them, than buy them. I'm a member of Baby Milk Action too.

Occasionally I forget one of the lesser known items is theirs

I did give dd prem formula from a nestle company but as thats what was available and I had enough on my plate I don't feel bad.

i do eat stuff if I'm given it. I hate waste

I stick pretty much rigidly to all my decisions re: ethics, which includes leaving out Nestle, Proctor and Gamble, Nike [and therefore Converse [sob]], L'Oreal, etc. Also meat, eggs and dairy. But I do have one allowance, which is that on Christmas day I will eat the mashed potatoes my aunt makes for everyone knowing there is milk in them [as opposed to the soya milk and vegan margerine I use]. I allow myself this because I'm not perfect. I dunno, I am very strongly ruled by my conscience, but it is assauged by the fact that I 'go without' so much stuff all of the rest of the time.

I don't buy Nestlé although DH does sometimes. If the DCs are given Nestlé products, it's up to them. (They usually eat them).

"I also don't buy Nestle but will eat somebody else's kitkat ( just to be polite I do buy Nestle condensed milk because nobody else makes it"

Sainsbury's now do a non-Nestlé condensed milk!! Hurray!!

Nope, no exceptions here.

Sodding San Pelligrino. It is my one weakness. Even Kit-kats are banned.

I agree that the formula thing was unfortunate.

But it has been years and years and years since that happened.

It's a bit like refusing to go to Germany because of the holocaust.

rosebyanyothername (and I think others mentioned Nike too) can I ask why you boycott Nike? From what I understand although they had problems in the 90s, their approach to managing labour conditions in their supply chain is now better than most clothing and shoe companies - for example they publish a list of the factories they use, which few others do. Who has called for the boycott of Nike, and on what grounds?

Once in a while I've promised DC a treat and we arrive in a shop or venue where the only options are Nestle. That's the only time I knowingly break the boycott. The one product I wish I could buy regularly is Cheerios (in Europe).

The child labour situation is complicated, I get the impression that steady factory jobs for the children is a lot better outcome than the only alternatives (even less regulated employment, even less chance of any training, begging or thieving on the streets). It's not like they could be going to school instead (Ho Ho Ho :( ).

The only very ethical tactic is probably to buy as little of anything as possible, but then again, all the wealth of our modern livestyles is based on high consumption levels. No simple way forward.

Cumbria the Germans have apologised as fully as humanly possible. They have thoroughly accepted their country's guilt and done their best to make amends. Nestle AFAIK (though I'm not an expert on the subject) have done fuck all that they weren't forced to, and their current standards still leave a lot to be desired. I'm sticking with my Union Carbide comparison.

opps,sorry glitterandglue, not rosebyanyothername....on the Nike question (but others feel free to chip in!).

Nestle are shit over the baby milk thing. But I felt a pang when Cadbury's were sold to Kraft - in terms of chocolate manufacturing, Nestle are good guys. Kept production in this country, unlike whoever owns Terrys and Kraft who are moving stuff overseas.

Someone told me key thing is not buying Nescafe as that's their biggest product. So I'm contemplating buying Nestle chocolates instead of Cadbury...

maktaitai - I thought Nestle sold Branston to Premier Foods in 2003?

I think Tesco sell their own version of Cheerios, too. But Lidl/Sainsbury's doesn't. Tesco/Aldi too inconvenient for my regular shop.

Pfft you're right! Happy Christmas to me! Xenia, fancy an enormous cheddar and Branstons sandwich?

Sainsbury's do their own Cheerios. They are called Hoops and we love them.

Sainsbury do "multi-grain hoops" which are a perfectly acceptable cheerio substitute in this house :-)

I don't eat cheese nor bread and have always hated pickles... but we've had some lovely food today (not made by Nestle). It's been the best Christmas.

I do boycott nestle goods but up until recently I have had to buy one brand of their cereal as DD (2) is intolerant to everything else

But recently (over the last 3mths) I have noticed she is reacting to this too so now don't buy anything at all and don't plan to tbh.

1/ It's not a boycott if you make exceptions. Boycotts are absolute.
2/ A boycott can only have effect if you tell the company you are boycotting them and why you are doing so: without the knowledge of what will increase their market share they have no incentive to change. Just not buying something is, well, just not buying. As far as Nestlé are concerned it might be that you preferred old KitKat wrappers.

I still boycott them, have done for the past 30 years or so. Like riven i do worry about the effectiveness of it, it's been years since i penned a letter to nestle or stood outside their factory, but i still reckon i'd struggle to down a kit kat. I don't eat quality street even if they are on offer in the staff room.

Should we get Nestle on here to tell them in person and put sone questions to them?