Nestlé Company based in Switzerland is the largest food company in the world and makes 1.8 million USD per day just from selling bottled water, non sparkling bottled water being its most profitable commodity. Nestlé has plants of bottled water across the United States and around the world. Nestlé controls one-third of the US market and sells water under 70 different brands across the world. Some popular ones are- Deer Park, Nestlé Pure Life, Ozarka, Ice Mountain and Poland Spring. Every individual should have access to free potable water; sadly it isn’t true for many. California suffered its worst drought in 1200 plus years in 2013, the mega food corporation was operating plants in the state and harvesting water during the driest year in California’s …show more content…
For Nestlé Corporation during such crisis, water was still a commodity to be sold in the open market. Nestlé drained 80 million gallons of water a year from Sacramento aquifers during the time of crisis of record drought. The mayor of Sacramento city gave the rights to Nestlé for significantly less amount to bottle the water and sell it for outrageous profits while the people of California suffered tragic draught situation. Nestlé Water Company paid 65 cents per 750 gallons of water to the city of Sacramento. This means, for 215,000 gallons of water the company paid $186. This water is sold for $2.1 million USD, resulting in a difference of 10,000% of what it should cost and what people paid. People were upset because of the lack of regulation and control when a giant corporation is taking their water for minting money. There were rallies organized in Sacramento and other parts of California. The mayor of Sacramento should have been more concerned about managing the public water resources properly rather than giving corporations the opportunity to bottle it, in fact the corporations should understand the responsibility to manage water wisely. Nestlé was even given a tax break and wasn’t required to pay the commercial rate for the water which it sold back to people at humungous …show more content…
Nestlé was accused of wasting 30% of water they pump; it’s shocking to know that for one liter of water to reach the shelf takes 80 plus liters of oil and 3 liter of water which is incredibly inefficient. In fact Nestlé intended to increase the amount of production of bottled water calling it the next hot commodity, which is not a good feeling when it comes to sustainability. As a corporation, they have the mentality that if they don’t bottle this water, some other company will. I would like to point out that Starbucks stopped bottling water in California during the time of drought. The issue is many other industries would be using the water for their operations but they actually need it and not creating a problem instead of solving one. Most of the water bottling companies make claims that they are only meeting consumer demand, but rationally thinking who would demand a less sustainable, less tasty and way more expensive than tap water. In 1970s the bottling water industry started, at that time people took it as a joke, but the marketing strategies were designed to scare people about the tap water and pictures of pristine springs and mountains were shown on the labels. Nestlé in one of its ads claimed- bottled water to
The California water drought has been declared a crisis by the governor of California. 2013 was the driest year on record, and California could be running out of water. Californians should be water wise, and their use, or no use, of water will have an enormous impact on this drought. They can use the techniques published in a recent Time article called, 5 Ways to Bust California’s Drought, to reduce their water use. Landscape techniques, alternate water sources, and the personal conservation of water can reduce the use of water, and can have a positive change on this water crisis.
Farmers and ranchers who own water rights should have their water amount filled earlier in order to facilitate themselves with the proper amount of water. They should not be restricted to a smaller prearranged amount of water each year. Water us...
Cynthia Barnett and Peter H. Gleick both address the business behind the bottled water industry. In “Business in a Bottle”, Barnett explains how the bottled water industry started, how the industry is struggling with the law regarding drawing its water from natural resources, and how it uses its marketing to imply the false location on where they got the water (128-138). Barnett then concludes that the bottled water industry helps economy with the job opportunities they provided and that consumers do not really care about the content of their bottled water because all they care about are the “convenience, the packaging, and the price” (141). On the other hand, in “Selling Bottled Water: The Modern Medicine Show”, Gleick
“Don’t waste that water! Kids in Africa don’t even have water to drink!” Almost every American has heard this saying before. We have heard this because there are water shortages in third world countries like Africa, as seen in the movie “Blue Gold”. But why have we developed this notion that there are only water shortages in third world countries? When in reality, there is a shortage of water right here in our home country. The Colorado River’s water is high in demand as it serves millions of people, powers industries, and is home to all different kinds of wildlife. The Colorado River will not be able to keep up with the increasing demand of water and soon enough the river will go dry. Organizations like the Colorado River Water Users Association are trying to change the way that the water is used and adjust how it is managed. The Colorado River is drying up and the western states are running out of water, however, public policy is trying to regulate and preserve the Colorado River to make it more sustainable in the future.
"Bottled Water is Cause for Concern, Environmental Advocates Claim" by Penny Stern, MD, for Reuters, reprinted at http://www.gue.com/news/1999-04A.html
For about five years California has experienced above average temperatures and a lack of rain. This lack of rain and snowfall has caused California to become increasingly dry, starting arguments over whose right to water is more important and who needs to be more mindful with their use of water. Farming in California truly began during the gold rush when water was redirected to land where food was grown for those looking for gold (Siegler, 2015). The farmers that have stayed on that land now have senior water rights (“Water wars”, 2015). Farmers that settled their land before 1914 are those with senior water rights (Terrell, 2015). Governor Jerry Brown has called for a cut in water use by one-quarter percent to people living
In the documentary, Blue Gold: World Water Wars, it follows several people and countries world-wide in their fight for fresh water. The film exposes giant corporations as they bully poorer developing countries to privatize their own supply of fresh water. As a result of the privatization, corporations make a hefty profit while the developing countries remain poor. Blue Gold: World Water Wars also highlights the fact that Wall Street investors are going after the desalination process and mass water export schemes. This documentary also shows how people in more developed nations are treating the water with much disregard, and not taking care of our finite supply. We are polluting, damming, and simply wasting our restricted supply of fresh water at an alarming speed. The movie also recognizes that our quick overdevelopment of housing and agriculture puts a large strain on our water supply and it results in desertification throughout the entire earth. The film shows how people in more industrialized nations typically take water for granted, while others in less industrialized nations have to fight for every drop.
California government should be allowed to make laws to manage aquifers so that families can once again enjoy the simple freedom of having running water . “For Angelica Gallegos, the worst part has been going without a shower for five months” (Source 2). Most families don’t have the liberty to shower due to the lack of water California receives. “...At least 1,300 people have lost their water in and around East Porterville, nearly three hours’ drive north of Los Angeles, making the town’s residents some of the hardest hit victims of the three-year-old drought” (Source 2). A majority
Drought is no stranger to the state of California especially is the southern part of the state. California has been a technological creation since the first American settlers starting migrating from the east. It naturally has a semi-arid climate. It was inevitable that prolonged severe drought would occur in such a climatic region from time to time. California has depended on redirecting natural waterways and investing an incredible amount of money into pumping water to Southern California. This is not only a California debacle but a global one as well. According to the World health Organization, 1 billion people do not have access to clean, piped water. A world Resources Institute analysis adds that 2.3 billion people, 41% of Earth’s population, live in water-stressed areas, a number expected to climb to 3.5 billion by 2025. To make matters worse, global population is rising by 80 million a year, and with it the demand for new sources of fresh water (7 pg. 1). Water affects everyone and everything including the economies of both developing and industrialized nations. “The current situation has heightened the need for reliable sources of water, especially in these type of times when there is rationing across the state, “said Paul Shoenberger, assistant general manager with the West Basin Municipal Water District in Carson and chair of a desalination subcommittee for the Association of California Water Agencies. “ Desalination is more available and isn’t linked to rain or snow pack.” The only methods to increase water supply beyond what is available from the hydrological cycle are desalination and water reuse (8).
Freshwater is essential to not only life, but also the economy and society's ability to function properly. As of January 17, 2014, and to this day, California has been in a perpetual state of emergency; the worst drought recorded in the state’s history has forced Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr to take executive action, in order to combat the extraordinary lack of water reserves. If left unregulated, the water shortage could culminate as one of the greatest calamities in California history. Not only would California’s agricultural industry collapse, a chain reaction would be set off, causing a halt of the state’s economy and eventually leaving millions of people across the state without functional access to water. In order to ensure that California
Nestlé is a multibillion dollar company that sells everything from chocolate to cosmetics. Over the years Nestlé has been through major changes to expand the growth of the company and to succeed as a business. These changes vary from expanding into eighty countries as well as acquiring other companies.
In short, the industry extremely focused on preventing and testing the presence of bacteria. Therefore, bottled water often represented “somewhat of a novelty or prestige product” in the United States, and it gave a perception to their consumers that they need to purchase bottled water in order to stay young and healthy. Because the bottled water industry seemed very attractive and profitable, as mentioned above, there were many competitors, too. Total nine bottled water producers were mentioned in the case study, but four key major rivals were Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, and Groupe Danone. However, there was no one buyer that accounts for a significant fraction of overall market demand. Distribution varied depending on the producer, but most distribution channels included food stores, supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, and wholesale clubs. Because bottled water had an easy availability, consumers in the United States were able to find it anywhere the food was also
Nestle recognizes its position as a global leader in food and beverage company and the unique role it
Nestle is a Swiss food and beverage Multi-national corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It is the largest food company in the world measured by revenues with about 500 factories in more than 80 countries. The company consists of a powerful portfolio of brands that is driven by unrivalled research and innovation, an aim to contribute to improving the quality of consumers’ lives and a clear commitment to consistence excellence. The company succeeded in accomplishing its mission of “Good Food, Good Life” by making the use of globalization in the areas that are as follows-
The transnational corporation Nestle Company founded in 1886 based in Vevey, Switzerland, sells its products in 189 countries and has manufacturing plants in 89 countries around the world, boasting an unmatched geographic presence. The company started off as an alternative to breastmilk and initially looked into other countries for an increase in global opportunities. It founded its first out of country offices in London in 1868, and due to the small size and inability of Switzerland to compensate growth manufacturing plants were built in both Britain and the United states in the late nineteenth century. A large portion of Nestlé’s globalization came in the 1900s which was when it first moved into the chocolate business after