Time To Boycott Nestle

I've always been a fan of products from Nestle Foods, and I've spent a lot of money with them. That's why I was so disappointed when I read about Nestle's involvement in Africa. It seems they are helping to prop up the regime of the bloody dictator Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.

In the past few years, Mugabe has seized many white-owned farms. He says he did it to provide land to poor Zimbabweans, but the truth is that the farms have gone to his family and closest supporters. The seizures have ultimately destroyed Zimbabwe's agriculture-based economy.

One of the recipients of several of the seized farms is Mugabe's wife -- Grace Mugabwe (pictured with her husband). Mrs. Mugabe has received about 12,000 acres, including some dairy farms. She is currently selling the milk from her farms to Nestle. In fact, she is providing about 15% of the milk Nestle buys in Zimbabwe.

Buying this milk violates the sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union, but since Nestle is a Swiss company, they don't legally have to abide by those sanctions. Nestle sent the BBC a statement saying, "Had Nestle decided to close down its operations in Zimbabwe, the company would have triggered further food shortages and hundreds of job losses among its employees and milk suppliers in an already very delicate position."

I'm not buying that argument, and I expect it could have been used by many other companies who are abiding by the sanctions. The fact is they are profiting by their support of a bloody dictator, when their failure to cooperate could hasten his departure. That's very disappointing, and just one more example of a company putting profits before people.

I won't be buying any more Nestle products, as least as long as Mugabe is still in power.