Nestle is taking steps to shore up production at its South African infant formula business as power outages in the country hit production.

South Africa is experiencing the worst power outages since 2008 as state-owned utilities firm Eskom struggles to manage severe power shortages.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

A spokesperson for Nestle told just-food the group's current infant formula stock is not at "optimum levels" due to "operational and infrastructural challenges including electricity".

The spokesperson continued: "To avoid shortages we are implementing precautionary measures that include importing from other Nestle operations."

The company is taking steps to stabilise production in South Africa. "Production at all Nestle operations continue albeit with occasional unplanned interruptions. We do have a business contingency plan which involves using generators and we are also investigating other alternative energy sources for the long term."

Nestle has no plans to raise prices in South Africa and will absorb "all costs" associated with importing products within its own value chain, the spokesperson added.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact