Task 2. Reading. Read the following text and answer the questions after it. Choose one of the offered variants.
The Honest Facts
In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of consumer campaigns against dishonesty in business. These campaigns often use new technology and social media to spread information quickly and put pressure on companies to be more honest.
One of the most famous examples is the campaign against Nike in the 1990s. This was one of the first times that consumers used the Internet to share information about a company's behaviour. They accused Nike of using child labour in its factories in Asia. Nike denied the accusations, but they were forced to change their policies because of the bad publicity.
Another example is the campaign against Nestlé in the 1970s. This was about the way the company marketed baby milk in poor countries. There were claims that the marketing of the product led to the deaths of many babies. Nestlé was also accused of using harmful ingredients in its food. The company's reputation suffered greatly, and it took them many years to recover.
More recently, there have been campaigns against banks and other financial institutions for their role in the global financial crisis. There have also been campaigns against oil and mining groups for their environmental and human rights records, and against footwear and clothing brands for their labour standards. And there have been campaigns against record companies and sports organisations for corruption.
Consumer campaigns can be very effective in informing people about companies’ dishonesty, especially when they receive a lot of attention from the media. Companies are increasingly aware of the power of consumer opinion, and they are more likely to listen to their customers than to governments or international organisations. There are now many ways for consumers to find out about the honesty of a company and to put pressure on it to behave fairly.
Questions:
4. What was one accusation against Nestlé in the 1970s?