Nestle has reported a net profit of 10.4 billion Swiss francs ($US9.5 billion) for 2009 and said it expected to achieve higher growth this year.
The profit fell below the 18 billion francs the company made in 2008, which included profits from the sale of part of its stake in an eye care company, Alcon.
Sales rose by 4.1% to 107.6 billion francs. Nestle said it had grown "substantially faster" than its industry as a whole.
Nestle's brands include Nescafe, Kit Kat, Perrier and Haagen Dazs.
The company said its performance was "broad-based across all categories and regions".
Bottled water was the only sector which saw a drop in sales - falling 1.4% on the previous year.
