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The rate at which Nestle's organic sales rose in the first quarter of 2017 was the slowest this century but the results, issued on Thursday, were dampened by calendar effects and were a tick above analyst expectations. Dean Best reports on the key takeaways from the figures and from Nestle's discussions on the numbers with analysts.

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Front-of-pack nutritional labelling has long been a subject of fierce debate within the food industry - and between food companies and public health professionals. The launch of a coalition of multinational food and beverage companies aimed at fostering a harmonised approach across Europe, Ben Cooper writes, promises more of the same.

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Twelve chocolate and cocoa companies, including Nestle, Mondelez International, Hershey last week announced plans to work together to "end deforestation and forest degradation in the global cocoa supply chain", focusing initially on Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Ben Cooper speaks to industry and campaign representatives to set out what that plan could look like.

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Nestle, PepsiCo, Unilever and Kellogg are among the companies to have signed up to a global initiative aimed at improving food sourcing, reducing waste and supporting "adjustments" in food production methods to promote "healthy and sustainable diets". Ben Cooper looks at the Food Reform for Sustainability and Health (Fresh) programme, which has initially been backed by 25 companies.

Nestle's travel retail unit is a US$100m-plus business, which generates the lion's share of its revenue from confectionery. Stewart Dryburgh, who heads the company's travel retail business, says the sector, while a small part of the Nestle empire, presents a strong growth avenue for the group. However, Dryburgh acknowledges it is also a competitive and fast-paced channel and those companies that want to cash in need to navigate some unique challenges. Katy Askew spoke to Dryburgh to find out more.

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Operating one of India's largest food companies is no simple task, Suresh Narayanan, the chairman and managing director of Nestle India, tells just-food in an exclusive interview at his business' headquarters, near New Delhi. The company faces an array of challenges in the market – from the recent Maggi recall, to intensifying competition, to issues like obesity and diabetes. Narayanan shares how the Switzerland-based food giant is responding in the country. 

Nestle has outlined where it plans to focus its resources on trying to drive growth, including in the consumer health sector, just days after an activist investor bought a stake in the world's largest food maker and called on the business to shake up its "staid culture".

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Nestle has teamed up with UberEats to offer home delivery of its baby foods and other products to consumers in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo.

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Third Point, a US hedge fund controlled by Daniel Loeb, has taken a CHF3.28bn (US$3.38bn) stake in Nestle - equivalent to about 1% of shares - and called for a strategy shake-up at the Swiss food giant.

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Nestle has said it would be "open" to acquiring stakes in start-ups that join the Terra accelerator programme, a scheme launched by financial services group Rabobank and US technology campus RocketSpace to support fledgling food companies.

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Nestle has announced plans to "coach the most innovative and disruptive start-ups" in the food and agricultural industry in a tie-up with an accelerator programme run by financial services group Rabobank and US technology campus RocketSpace.

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Nestle has acquired a minority stake in US online meal-kit service Freshly, the latest investment a packaged food major has made in the category.

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Cereal Partners Worldwide, the international breakfast cereal venture run by Nestle and General Mills, has launched its breakfast cereal brand Clusters in a bar format in Germany.

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Nestle today (15 June) announced it plans to "explore strategic options" for its US confectionery business, including the possible sale of the Butterfinger-to-Raisinets brands.

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Nestle is to cut the sugar and up the milk used in the recipe for kids-focused confectionery brand Milkybar.

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Nestle has confirmed it is considering proposals to boost sales in Nigeria by stepping up investment in its production and distribution networks in the country.

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Nestle said today (30 May) it plans to revamp its Maggi brand over the next three years in a move to introduce more "recognisable ingredients" and make further cuts in salt.

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Nestle has launched a no-added-sugar cereal line under its Uncle Tobys oats brand in Australia.

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Nestle is claiming it can boost the brain-power of the middle-aged and elderly in China with a new functional food.

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Nestle has lost its latest legal bid to secure trademark protection for its four-fingered Kit Kat.

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Food giants have joined forces to call for the "urgent adoption" of nutrient profiles in the EU to ensure nutrition and health claims made for food products are genuine.

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Confectioners operating in the US, including Nestle, Mars and Ferrero have announced a series of pledges in areas including pack sizes, calories and labelling.

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Health instead of body shape is the new focus for Cereal Partners Worldwide in the rebranding one of the venture's cereal brands, Fitness.

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Nestle has sold a clutch of brands in Italy to Germany-based frozen food group Frosta, the companies have confirmed.

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Nestle workers in Canada are taking industrial action over the alleged use of temporary workers, pay and conditions.

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Nestle today (25 April) announced plans to cut almost 300 jobs from its confectionery business in the UK.

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Nestle saw weaker organic growth in the first quarter of 2017 than in the corresponding period a year earlier - but the KitKat maker's underlying sales still came in ahead of consensus analyst expectations. 

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German food maker Frosta confirmed today (10 April) that it has entered into negotiations with Nestle over the potential acquisition of various frozen food brands belonging to the Swiss food giant in Italy. 

Nestle, set to welcome a new CEO on 1 January, has announced more changes to the make-up of its senior management team.

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Wow. Your correspondent is penning this blog following precious little sleep after the combination of a humid night in London and the emergence of the most significant event in UK history since 1945 made sleep tricky on Thursday night.