Zurich — Food group Nestlé confirmed it aims to grow underlying sales by 2%-4% in 2017 after growth slowed in the first quarter, hit by weak consumer demand for packaged foods in North America and a deflationary environment in western Europe. Underlying "organic" sales growth at the maker of Buitoni pasta and Maggi soups slowed to 2.3% in the first quarter, from 3.9% in the year-earlier period that included one more trading day and an earlier Easter, the group based in Vevey on Lake Geneva said in a statement on Thursday. This was in line with forecasts in a Reuters poll. Consumer goods groups face challenges as increasingly health-conscious consumers often prefer fresh produce to packaged foods, pushing the world’s biggest food group to make its products healthier by cutting back on sugar, salt and fat and build up the business of foods with health benefits. Volume growth slowed to 1.3%, from 3.0% a year ago, hit by soft demand in North America and China, while pricing inched highe...
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