Nestlé has posted a solid performance in the first three months of 2026, with an organic growth of 3.5 per cent and real internal growth of 1.2 per cent.

The FMCG giant experienced upward growth across all geographical zones and categories besides infant formula within Nutrition.

However, the reported sales growth declined by 5.7 per cent to around £19.8 billion compared to the same time in the year prior.

Nestlé CEO Philipp Navratil said: “Our first-quarter performance demonstrates that our real internal growth-led growth strategy is delivering. Results were strong across most zones and categories, particularly in Coffee and Food & Snacks.

“In Europe and the US our performance was robust as our teams successfully navigated the customer and consumer environments. Building on the momentum in the first quarter, we continue to execute our strategy to deliver a stronger Nestlé.”

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Sales within the European region decreased to £4.40 billion from £4.35 billion, which was negatively impacted by a 5.3 per cent decline from foreign currency exchange, according to the business.

Nestlé’s performance in major European markets, including the UK & Ireland, was negatively affected by infant nutrition.

In particular, the Petcare category delivered a strong performance in Europe, while there was a stable share position within the Coffee and Food & Snacks departments.

Moving forward, the FMCG giant has maintained its full-year 2026 guidance despite the increasing geopolitical uncertainty due to the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Nestlé expects organic growth between 3 per cent and 4 per cent and forecasted that real internal growth will increase compared to 2025.