Food giant Nestlé yesterday said it was on course to hit its full-year targets after coffee business Nespresso and household favourite Kit Kat lifted sales.

The world’s largest food business boosted group sales in the first nine months of its financial year by 4.1 per cent to 82.8 billion Swiss, while sales in its core food and beverages arm were up 4.5 per cent to 77 billion Swiss francs.

The group said major investment in marketing and new products helped maintain growth seen in the first half, despite battling against higher commodity prices.

Chocolate prices have risen steeply recently as the price of cocoa has soared.

Nestlé is said to have hiked prices for the second time in nine months on some of its most popular lines, reportedly adding 4p to Kit Kat and Aero bars earlier this month.

Paul Bulcke, Nestlé chief executive officer, said: “Our performance is the result of clear strategic alignment and focus on execution throughout the whole organisation, both in developed and emerging markets.”

Worldwide sales of espresso brand Nespresso grew by 20 per cent, and were particularly strong in its biggest European Markets, the group said.

Nestlé said the UK, and the rest of Western Europe, saw good growth helped by new Nescafe coffee and chocolate brands, such as Kit Kat which celebrated its 75th anniversary.

Nestlé’s bottled water business, which includes the Perrier and San Pellegrino brands, also saw market share growth in the UK and other key markets.

But yesterday, French rival Danone warned the economic climate and government austerity measures would hit consumption in Europe, despite a higher-than-expected 15 per cent increase in sales to €4.3 billion.