NESTLE NUGGETS

When Nestlé‘s Chairman speaks out, I try to listen and tend to agree. Recently, Peter Brabeck talked to the Financial Times and many of his remarks bear repeating. Food prices – “Food prices will continue to increase because the demand, even during this crisis, will be in 2009 about 3 per cent to 4 per cent higher than last year.” Biofuels – “It is absolutely unacceptable that we are using food for biofuels. We need 9,100 litres of water to produce one litre of pure diesel. This is not sustainable.” Water scarcity – If we continue to treat water as “a commodity without any price … the world will run out of water long before we [run out] of oil.” “93 per cent of all water consumption is in agriculture and, as water has no price, there is no economic incentive to improve the productivity.” “60 per cent of fresh water … we are losing due to insufficient infrastructure.” Recession – “If you look at state deficits being created just now, there is no short way out of this crisis.” Inflation – “All macroeconomic decisions which are being taken will lead us to inflation.” Coca-Cola/Huiyuan – “I’m not so sure Europe would have allowed this acquisition.”