Nestle chairman Paul Bulcke says he would not pursue short-term efforts at the expense of long-term success, in the face of scrutiny from shareholder activists who know how to “pressure-point you and tease.”

Swiss food and drinks giant Nestle reported first-quarter sales of 21.39bn Swiss francs (€1.15bn) today.

Food and drinks giant Nestle has posted a full-year net profit of 9.5bn Swiss francs (€7.9bn) that reflected stronger-than-expected sales growth of 7.5% - but it predicted a tough year ahead.