Nestlé reported 4.0% organic sales growth in the third quarter of 2026, supported by stronger volumes and growth across its major food, coffee and petcare operations.

The Swiss food group released its trading update on 22 October. Quarterly reported sales reached CHF22.76 billion, compared with CHF21.64 billion a year earlier.

Real internal growth, which measures volume and product-mix changes rather than price rises, reached 2.8% in the quarter. Pricing contributed 1.1% to organic growth.

Those figures suggest the company’s recent improvement was increasingly supported by actual product sales rather than simply raising prices. For supermarket buyers, this distinction is important when assessing category demand and manufacturers’ negotiating positions.

Petcare recorded 5.3% organic growth, while the food and snacks business grew 5.0%. Coffee increased 3.4%, driven in part by demand in the Americas and Europe, according to Nestlé.

The company reported that e-commerce sales grew 15.3% and accounted for 21.5% of group sales during the first nine months of the year.

Performance differed between regions. Organic growth reached 6.4% in Asia, Oceania and Africa, 3.3% in the Americas and 1.2% in Europe. Europe’s relatively modest growth points to continued competitive pressure in mature supermarket markets.

Nestlé’s nine-month organic sales growth was 3.7%, comprising 1.9% real internal growth and 1.8% pricing. The company said it remains focused on improving underlying demand and simplifying its portfolio.

The figures matter to retailers because Nestlé’s brands compete across categories including confectionery, beverages, pet food and prepared meals. Growth driven by increased volumes can influence promotional planning, space allocation and expectations for category sales.

GTN has separately covered Nestlé’s healthy-ageing drinks launch and the company’s UK logistics partnership with GXO, both of which show how the group is developing products and supply operations.

Nestlé will continue tracking whether improved real internal growth can be sustained across regions and categories as retailers plan their year-end promotions.