Underlying sales growth at the maker of KitKat chocolate bars and Maggi soup came in at 5.9 percent for the year, meeting average analyst expectations, and implying a slight recovery from just 5 percent third-quarter growth.

Growth in Asia, Oceania and Africa, which accounted for about one fifth of sales, came in at 8.4 percent. Third-quarter sales in the region took a surprise hit from one-off events such as typhoons in the Philippines, social unrest in Egypt and business disruptions due to sanctions on Iran.

Despite the challenges, Chief Executive Paul Bulcke said Nestle still expects to meet its standard outlook for 5-6 percent underlying sales growth this year as well as improved margin and underlying earnings per share in constant currencies.