Nestle Makes Billions Bottling Water It Pays Nearly Nothing For (bloomberg.com)

Nestle, the world's largest food and beverage company, has been bottling water since 1843 and has grown into the largest seller of bottled water. But a detailed report on Bloomberg uncovers the company's operation in Michigan, revealing that Nestle has come to dominate in the industry in part by going into economically depressed areas with lax water laws. It makes billions selling a product for which it pays close to nothing. Find the Bloomberg Businessweek article here (it might be paywalled, here's an alternative source).

Comments

So.... fix the laws, I guess?

[King_TJ]

I've heard a lot about how "evil" Nestle is for these practices. But as usual, we're simply dealing with shrewd businesses taking advantage of situations where they can make huge profits because the law of the land doesn't prevent any of it.

IMO, laws can be changed at any time -- so blame the governments for this.

Re:So.... fix the laws, I guess?

[Anonymous Coward]

To be fair, Nestle SHOULD be painted evil in all this after their CEO's statement that he didn't think water was a human right.

Re:So.... fix the laws, I guess?

[EndlessNameless]

Yeah - the article paints Nestle as evil but gives the city leaders a total pass for charging only a $200 extraction fee.

It's basically corporate welfare---a handout to a big corporation in exchange for jobs.

If they increase the fee to a significant level, Nestle will just move to another economically depressed area and offer them hundreds or thousands of jobs in exchange for free access to water.

When you have hundreds of communities willing to sell out, it's awfully nice to be the buyer.

Re: So.... fix the laws, I guess?

[udachny]

You are wrong obviously, a right is a protection against government oppression, it is not a product or a service or a resource. Government must not be able to prevent a person from drinking, it is not the same thing as declaring that clean water must be made available for a person just because that person is born, whether he does or does not pay for the privilege of *somebody cleaning* the water.

Re:Yeah, poor Nestle!

[King_TJ]

Why does it have to be so polarized? (EG. Nestle = victim, OR Nestle = evil sociopaths)

I really don't find Nestle as either one. I think they're just taking advantage of the opportunities presented to maximize profits, as they've promised their stockholders all along. If Nestle was really SO evil, they'd be putting highly addictive substances into their water bottles causing you to crave Nestle branded water - or something like that?

Yes, corporations tend to have enough money to buy influence in the political system. That's why I've always felt we need to both pay attention to what's going on and vote in an informed manner, AND reduce government's size and scope. The more power and influence central government has in the first place, the more ability it has to selectively grant businesses specials favors or privileges - despite the will of the people being against it.

I'd love to see political lobbyists outlawed, period. There's no reason someone should get paid just to try to win a politician's favor on an issue when that's the job of the voting public to decide. My elected representatives are supposed to be up there, doing the lobbying for the issues those of us in their district believe should be handled a certain way. Individuals trying to influence them with gifts, dinners, and what-not? They're clearly only there to subvert the process.

Re:That describes nearly every soft-drink maker

[93 Escort Wagon]

If you ever want to give up Taco Bell, get a good smell of 'Ol' Roy' brand canned beef dog food, then goto a Taco Bell and inhale. You will recognize the smell.

Not this nonsense again.

Unlike Taco Bell, Ol' Roy brand canned beef dog food contains actual beef.