"nestle" news and stories

Willy Wonka (a.k.a Nestle) is launching a new line of chocolate that they hope will live up to Roald Dahl's classic tale, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

"Augustus Gloop! Augustus Gloop! The great big greedy nincompoop!" Everyone knows those immortal lines, uttered by a chorus of judgmental Oompa-Loompas. Sadly, we think those Oompa-Loompas would be underwhelmed by real-life Willy Wonka chocolate bars.

But the company is trying to remedy that with a new line called Wonka Exceptionals, which will launch with --what else?-- a golden ticket contest. The lucky winner does not win a tour of the Wonka chocolate factory and a chance to float down a river of chocolate. But the winner will be awarded a trip around the world, which sounds pretty good too.

First there was the Halloween pumpkin shortage and now this.

Nestlé, the parent company of Libby's Pumpkin, said Tuesday that it might not have enough canned pumpkin for the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Our calculations indicate that we may deplete our inventory of canned Libby's pumpkin as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday," Paul Bakus, vice president for Nestlé's baking division, told the New York Times.

If Kraft can produce best-selling industrial cheeses why can't Nestle? It's slightly alarming to see that in Mexico Nestle is selling a cheese they call Manchego. Indeed, the cheese they call Manchego could not be any more different than the original Manchego, produced in the region of La Mancha in Spain. Instead of being made with sheep's milk, it's made with cow's milk. While Manchego has a striking bright dark rind, this one is rindless. In short, Nestle's version is highly manufactured; Manchego is artisanal.

The larger issue is whether or not the Spanish government should protect the Manchego name, like France has done with Champagne and Mexico with tequila. Nestle is taking advantage of a Spanish cheese and marketing their version under its name. It's no wonder why the company is selling it specifically in Mexican grocery stores. But, perhaps I am being too judgmental of Nestle. After all, think of what the American food market has done to mozzarella. Check out the poll below to let us know what you think.

If you thought that the grocery store was the only place you'd ever find Nestlé products, think again. As of last week they're on the cosmetic counters at Neiman Marcus.

The food-making giant launched the Glowelle brand, their entry into the nascent beauty nutraceutical industry. While nutraceuticals specifically for the beauty market have been popular in Japan for the last few years, that use is virtually unknown in the US.

Beauty nutraceuticals are generally drinks or juices that are aimed at some beauty issue, such as skin appearance. Drink the product and your skin will be glowing, or that's the idea. Nestle's Glowelle comes in two flavors: natural jasmine and natural pomegranate lychee.

I might not be the best person to talk about chocolate. Growing up, my favorite candies were generally the tart, fake-fruit flavored ones, like Smarties, Sweet Tarts, Lemonheads, Runts, and certain Jolly Rancher flavors. However, even in the midst of my deepest obsession with the sour side of the candy chain, I still had a special place in my heart for a few chocolate treats. Reese's cups, Caramello, and Chunky bars have always held a strange power over me and I've never been able to walk past a bowl full of M&Ms without grabbing a handful. After I got married, my wife dragged me over to the dark side, and I discovered the wonders of dark chocolate, particularly when paired with red wine. Even now, though, I will sometimes indulge my deep appreciation of plebian chocolate treats, especially when my wife isn't looking.

Recently, though, I came across an article that makes me a little worried about the future of my favorite mass-market chocolate goodies. Some candy companies, including Hershey's and Nestle, are substituting cheap vegetable oils for cocoa butter in their chocolate bars. While this saves a lot of money, it also reduces the creaminess and flavor of the chocolate; some consumers have described the new products as tasting "waxy and artificial."

On the bright side, the FDA has ruled that products which do not contain cocoa butter cannot refer to themselves as chocolate. Consequently, many former "chocolate bars" now boast that they are "made with chocolate," are "chocolate candy," or have "chocolate coating." Most of the major candy companies have unsuccessfully fought this, while smaller manufacturers are desperately supporting the labeling restrictions.

While Nestle and Hershey's try to decide if they're willing to spend a few more pennies to ensure a top-quality chocolate experience, you might want to take a long, hard look at your candy bar. After all, if you're willing to splurge on calories and cash, shouldn't you get the best possible chocolate experience?