"I am not ruling this out," Schneider said when asked whether plans to raise sales of the health-science division to 10 billion Swiss Francs ($10.41 billion) from 2 billion required bigger purchases. "But we are acting prudently."

The company is on track to meet its 2-to-4 percent sales growth target and wants to grow in a medium single-digit range from 2020 in organic terms, Schneider said in an interview published on Thursday.

On calls by activist investor Daniel Loeb to sell a stake in L'Oreal, the CEO said: "Nestle has performed exceptionally well with its engagement in L'Oreal for more than 40 years. I have nothing to add to this."

Separately, Schneider said the company has no plans to spin off slower-growing businesses outside its four defined growth areas.