Nestlé in the Middle East and North Africa has so far supported 100,000 families and 50,000 healthcare professionals. It donated 10 million food and beverage servings, 620,000 litres of water, in addition to supporting the provision of essential medical supplies to governments, health institutions, and local organisations relief efforts. 

 

The initiatives are implemented in collaboration with more than 30 local entities in 17 countries.

 

“Our priorities focus on three main objectives: 1. safeguarding the safety and wellbeing of our employees, our collaborators, business partners and the communities we are a part of; 2. ensuring continued production and delivery of much-needed food and beverage products to help meet the nutritional needs of individuals and families; and 3. stepping up relief efforts to local communities and healthcare professionals,” said Dragan Culibrk, Nestlé Ad Interim Chief Executive Officer & Chief Financial Officer, Middle East and North Africa.

 

Food and beverage donations are being provided to Algeria’s Ministry of Trade; various government and other initiatives in Egypt; Jordan’s Hashemite Charity Organisation; various charitable organisations including the Lebanese Food Bank; the Mohamed V Foundation in Morocco; the Oman Charitable Organisation; various emergency funds in Palestine; collaborative efforts in Saudi Arabia; the government’s “1818” fund in Tunisia; the Dubai Health Authority; and the Yemeni Food Bank. 

 

Nestlé donations are also supporting hospitals, healthcare professionals and medical initiatives run by governments and other entities in Egypt, the Jordanian Ministry of Health fund, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, providing ventilators to Intensive Care Units, medical and personal protective equipment, including the provision of more than 100,000 face masks.

 

In line with Nestlé’s global collaboration with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in its pandemic emergency efforts, food or medical support are also being provided to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society, the Tunisia Red Crescent, and the Emirates Red Crescent in the United Arab Emirates. Select activities are being facilitated where needed through the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

 

In addition to its donations across the region, totaling nearly $3.7 million, the company’s various divisions are contributing in their different expertise.

 

Nestlé Health Science for example is working with healthcare professionals to enhance medical nutrition’s impact on patients in intensive care, with a special focus on those requiring treatment with ventilators. 

 

Nestlé Professional also continues to offer pragmatic support to its business partners in the hospitality industry, as they reopen to welcome back their customers. This is being done through its "Always open for You" initiative which is allocating $2.1 million to benefit more than 5,000 foodservice outlets in the Mena region. Support includes payment term extensions, coffee machines rental fees suspensions, provision of free products including 2.5 million Nescafe cups, trainings, marketing and other services.

 

In addition, Nestlé is fully meeting its commitments to key suppliers, with the example of the company buying agreed volumes from dairy farmers in Morocco to help sustain their livelihoods and mitigate current significant demand disruptions for their highly perishable fresh milk produce.

 

“We care deeply for people and for the communities in which we operate, and always strive to remain true to our purpose of Enhancing Quality of Life and Contributing to a Healthier Future,” concluded Culibrk. “Food and beverages help keep people healthy and enhance their quality of life, and we want to meet our responsibility to provide good nutrition, especially for the most vulnerable in society.” -- Tradearabia News Service