Registry · NESN
Does Nestlé S.A. support Israel?
Yes — Nestlé S.A. has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.
Filed under: Food & beverage brands · Companies that support Israel
Background
Nestlé S.A., the Swiss parent, has made no corporate statement of support for either side in the Israel-Hamas war. Its first publicly reported response, in October 2023, was temporarily shutting one of its Israeli production plants for a few days as a safety precaution, with CEO Mark Schneider saying the focus was on keeping employees safe. Nestlé's exposure to Israel runs through Osem-Nestlé, the Israeli food group it has owned outright since 2016; the wartime food donations widely attributed to "Nestlé" were made by that Israeli subsidiary, not by the Swiss headquarters.
ThePrint (Reuters) US News (Reuters)
Timeline of documented support
Documented support
| Type | Date | Amount | Recipient | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acquisition | 2016-02 | $840,000,000 | Osem Investments Ltd. (Israel) Nestlé S.A. acquired the remaining 36.3% of Israeli food maker Osem for about $840 million (€752 million, ILS 82.50 per share), taking 100% ownership and delisting what was then Israel's largest publicly traded food manufacturer from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Nestlé built the stake gradually: first investment and exclusive Israel distribution rights in 1995, majority control (50.1%) in 2002, 58.76% by 2012, full ownership in February 2016. | |
| Operations in Israel | 2016 | — | Osem-Nestlé (wholly-owned Israeli subsidiary) Through wholly-owned subsidiary Osem-Nestlé, Nestlé operates one of Israel's largest food manufacturers (Bamba, snacks, pasta, sauces, baby food), with production plants in Israel including Sderot, where Nestlé opened an R&D center in 2002 after taking majority control. Osem has been Nestlé's exclusive distributor in Israel since 1995. | |
| In-kind support | 2023-10 | — | IDF soldiers, rescue forces, Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers, residents of Sderot Osem-Nestlé — the Israeli subsidiary, not the Swiss parent — sent food and water shipments to IDF soldiers at staging areas and to rescue forces in the first days of the October 2023 war, organized deliveries of tens of thousands of dry-goods products to the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers, and sent a dedicated shipment including baby food to residents of Sderot, with further products distributed to southern families via the Latet organization. Note: viral claims about "Nestlé donating to the IDF" originate from the subsidiary's own social-media posts amplified by advocacy aggregators; this item is based on independent Israeli press coverage and is attributed to the subsidiary. |
Frequently asked questions
Did Nestlé S.A. donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?
We have no records of cash donations, but Nestlé S.A. has documented support of other kinds (Acquisition, Operations in Israel, In-kind support). See the records on this page.
Where does this information come from?
Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 5 distinct sources are cited for Nestlé S.A.. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.
Sources & citations
Record last updated: 2026-07-20
- Nestlé (official M&A page) nestle.com
- FoodNavigator foodnavigator.com
- Walla Finance (Hebrew) finance.walla.co.il
- ThePrint (Reuters) theprint.in
- US News (Reuters) usnews.com