The Swiss multinational has been the subject of a high profile activist campaign against its marketing of baby foods for over 25 years.

Nestlé has also been accused of labour conflicts in its factories. Most recently, the consumer goods company was at the centre of a row over one of its factories in Colombia, where it allegedly replaced all the staff with cheaper labour and refused to renew its collective contract of employment.

“Workers and communities everywhere must be able to safeguard basic rights to minimum health and safety standards at work, to minimum wages, and not be dispossessed without adequate compensation”, said Cambridge University academic and anti-globalisation figurehead, Noreena Hertz at the awards.

The list of other winners at the awards organised by the non-profit groups, Berne Declaration and Pro Natura, were drawn from a predictable list of anti-globalisation poster-brands.

The award for the human rights category went to the US company, Dow Chemicals, which was nominated for its role in the Bhopal chemical disaster of 1984.

Shell, meanwhile, was awarded the environment prize despite increasing its investment in renewables and alternative energies in recent years.

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant, which suffered a major scandal last year over its miscalculation of oil reserves, was singled out for its highly contested operations in Nigeria.

Environmental campaigners, Friends of the Earth accuses Shell of continuing with gas flaring in the Delta region and of failing to clean up the “numerous oil spills” it is said to have caused in the region.

Other award winners include Wal-Mart, which was chosen for allegedly allowing poor working conditions in its African and Asian factories, and the professional services firm KPMG for promoting "agressive tax avoidance" among its client base.

The awards coincided with the commencement of the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. The theme for this year’s forum is “Taking Responsibility for Tough Choices”.

Almost simultaneously, approximately 100,000 people are attending the alternative World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The event commenced yesterday and runs through until Monday 31 January.