Does Nestle’s CEO Still Think Water is Not a Basic Human Right?

Should water be considered a basic human right, or should corporations own the water we drink and determine who is allowed to drink it? Back in 2013, Nestle’s former CEO and current Chairman went on record in saying that water should in fact be privatized — owned entirely by corporations like Nestle.

In his message, which also includes immense praises towards Monsanto for their GMOs and how truly ‘safe’ they are, Nestle Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe heavily pushes the idea that corporations should be in control of the world’s water supply.

Checkout the video below where Brabeck-Letmathe even compares the initiative of privatizing all water to Monsanto’s GMOs (great PR move there):

According to Corporate Watch, Nestle and former CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe have a long past of sacrificing health and the environment in order to take part in the profit of an astounding $35 billion in annual revenue from water bottle sales alone.

The report states:

“Nestlé production of mineral water involves the abuse of vulnerable water resources. In the Serra da Mantiqueira region of Brazil, home to the “circuit of waters” park whose groundwater has a high mineral content and medicinal properties, over-pumping has resulted in depletion and long-term damage.”

Nestle has even been blasted over the reported use of ‘slavery rings’ to culminate their water business, another Corporate Watch entry details:

“In 2001, Nestlé faced criticism for buying cocoa from the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which may have been produced using child slaves.[58] According to an investigative report by the BBC, hundreds of thousands of children in Mali, Burkina Faso and Togo were being purchased from their destitute parents and shipped to the Ivory Coast, to be sold as slaves to cocoa farms.”

Has Nestle’s CEO changed his mind on the global privatization of water? Perhaps looking at Monsanto, one of the most hated companies in the world, may help change his mind. Certainly comparing the initiative to Monsanto’s practices is not among the best of ideas for public acceptance.