Nestle today (28 September) revealed that it sources up to 15% of its milk supply in Zimbabwe from a farm owned by the wife of President Robert Mugabe.
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The Swiss food giant told just-food that it has been sourcing milk from Gushungo Dairy Estate, a property said to be owned by Grace Mugabe, since the start of the year.
Weekend reports in the UK claimed the farm, which is said to form part of Mrs Mugabe’s 12,000-acre estate, was bought from its previous white owner for a knock-down price, is now owned by the president’s wife and managed by her son.
According to the Sunday Telegraph, Nestle’s local arm, which is based on the outskirts of Zimbabwean capital Harare, is the farm’s largest customer.
The company told just-food that the “collapse” of Zimbabwe’s dairy industry amid the political upheaval in the country meant the group lost half its contracted suppliers.
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By GlobalDataAs a result, Nestle was “forced” to source milk from a “wide variety” of non-contracted suppliers, a spokesman said.
“This includes milk from the Gushungo Dairy Estate which today accounts for between 10 and 15% of Nestlé’s local milk supply,” the spokesman added.
Nestle, the world’s largest food manufacturer, pertains to follow a strict code of corporate and social responsibility.
On Nestle’s corporate website, the company has published a 10-page “code of conduct” in which the group claims it “condemns any form of bribery and corruption”.
