Nestlé Pakistan Limited ( ), a subsidiary of the Swiss multinational

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. ( ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 20 ...

, is a leading food and beverage company based in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It produces and markets a diverse range of products, including

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothie ...

s, infant nutrition, and bottled

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

.Only six milk brands fit for consumption in Pakistan
Dawn, Published 31 January 2017, Retrieved 21 December 2020 The company is publicly traded on the

Pakistan Stock Exchange The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), founded as Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE), is a stock exchange based in Karachi, Pakistan. PSX was classified by MSCI as a frontier market on 8 September 2021. Pakistan Stock Exchange was founded in 1947 as ...

.Nestle Pakistan Limited stock quote and company business summary on MarketScreener.com website
Retrieved 22 December 2020

History

Nestlé Pakistan was incorporated in 1979 as Milkpak Limited. It started producing packaged milk in 1981. In 1984, Milkpak acquired the Frost branded juice line from its parent company, Packages Limited. Milkpak Ltd further expanded its products with the launch of Milkpak butter in 1985 and a line of packaged cream in 1986. In 1988,

acquired a controlling stake in Milkpak and subsequently it was renamed as Nestlé Milkpak Limited. During the 1990s, Nestlé allegedly repeated controversial infant formula marketing practices in Pakistan. This first emerged in developing countries during the 1977 Nestlé boycott. A Pakistani salesman named Syed Aamir Raza Hussain became a whistle-blower against Nestlé. In 1999, two years after he left Nestlé, Hussain released a report in association with the non-profit organisation,

International Baby Food Action Network The International Baby Food Action Network, IBFAN, consists of public interest groups working around the world to reduce infant and young child morbidity and mortality. IBFAN aims to improve the health and well-being of babies and young children, t ...

, in which he alleged that Nestlé was encouraging doctors to push its infant formula products over

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the process where breast milk is fed to a child. Infants may suck the milk directly from the breast, or milk may be extracted with a Breast pump, pump and then fed to the infant. The World Health Orga ...

. Nestlé has denied Raza's allegations. This story inspired the 2014 acclaimed Indian film ''Tigers'' by the Oscar winning Bosnian director

Danis Tanović Danis Tanović (born 20 February 1969) is a Bosnian film director and screenwriter. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for the Golden Bear and the Palme d'Or. Ta ...

. In 2015, Nestlé began delivering pasturized milk to local homes in

as a pilot project. Between 2013 and 2017, a forensic audit revealed that Nestlé Pakistan extracted 4.43 billion liters of groundwater without significant payments to government departments. Approximately 1.9 billion liters (43%) of this water was wasted, with 28% of the wastage remaining unexplained. During Supreme Court proceedings, a sample of Nestlé’s bottled water was found unfit for human consumption. The company defended its operations, citing the Reverse Osmosis process as a source of some water loss, but the justification for the remaining wastage was deemed inadequate by the court. Nestlé Pakistan has faced allegations of violating international marketing codes for breast milk substitutes. In the 1990s, whistleblower Syed Aamir Raza Hussain accused the company of employing unethical practices, including providing material inducements to healthcare professionals to promote infant formula over breastfeeding. These practices allegedly contravened the World Health Organization's International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Nestlé denied these allegations, which were later dramatized in the 2014 film ''Tigers'' by Danis Tanović. In 2005, Nestlé Pakistan faced a notice from the Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) for unauthorized sales of its "Pure Life" brand. Additionally, the company has been involved in legal disputes with Pakistani authorities over water contamination claims and regulatory compliance issues. On February 25, 2025, former employee Asif Javed set himself on fire outside the Lahore High Court (LHC) to protest delays in his legal battle against Nestlé Pakistan. Javed had been dismissed in 2016 for alleged union activities and won reinstatement orders from labor courts in 2019, but Nestlé’s appeal kept the case unresolved for years. His death on February 28 reignited debates on labor rights and judicial efficiency in Pakistan. Nestlé denied delaying court proceedings and maintained its right to appeal.

Products

Cerelac Cerelac is a brand of instant cereal made by Nestlé. The cereal is promoted for infants between 6 and 24 months old, as a supplement to breast milk when it is no longer the sole item in an infant's diet. Cerelac is not a substitute for breast mi ...

Maggi Maggi (, ) is an international brand of seasonings, instant soups, and noodles that originated in Switzerland in the late 19th century. In 1947, the Maggi brand was acquired by the Switzerland, Swiss giant Nestlé. History Early history ...

Nescafé Nescafé is a brand of instant coffee sold by the multinational food and drink corporation Nestlé. It comes in many different forms. The name is a portmanteau of the words "Nestlé" and "café". Nestlé first introduced their flagship coffee br ...

* Nestlé Milkpak * Nestlé Everyday * Nestlé Pure Life * Nido

Plants

Nestlé operates two multi-purpose processing plants in

Sheikhupura Sheikhupura (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ) also known as Qila Sheikhupura, is a city and district in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. Founded by the Mughal Empire, Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the List of ...

and in

Kabirwala Kabirwala (, Punjabi language, Punjabi ) is a town of Khanewal District in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. The town is the headquarters of Kabirwala Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of Khanewal District. Kabirwala's pop ...

as well as two water packaging facilities in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

and in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nestlé Pakistan Nestlé Dairy products companies of Pakistan Companies based in Lahore Companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange Companies in the KSE 100 Index Pakistani subsidiaries of foreign companies Food and drink companies established in 1979 Pakistani companies established in 1979 1980s initial public offerings 1988 mergers and acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions of Pakistani companies