Nestle reports higher sales even as it raises prices

Global food giant Nestle, which makes everything from Purina pet food to KitKat candy bars and Gerber baby food, reported higher sales in the first half of the year, even as it increased prices by 6.5% as inflation soared around the world.

The Swiss company said Thursday that total reported sales grew by 9.2%, to 45.6 billion Swiss francs ($47.53 billion), compared with the same period last year. Net profit, however, decreased by 11.7%, to 5.2 billion Swiss francs ($5.42 billion), because of one-time expenses such as taxes, according to Nestle.

Purina was its biggest sales driver, but KitKat and other treats, water brands like Perrier and S. Pellegrino, and vegetarian and plant-based food all grew at double-digit rates, the company said.

It saw strong growth for baby formula after a shortage in the United States this year. One of the largest formula suppliers, Nestle ramped up U.S. imports after the nation’s largest domestic