Nestlé has plans to invest in its coffee business as part of a new strategy for the food multinational.

The Swiss company - which has a factory in Dalston - wants to target "sustainable value creation" across its divisions.

These comments were made at a summit for investors, taking place in London today.

Nestlé reported worse than expected sales for the first half of 2017 in July.

The month before the company announced it would have a "comprehensive review" of its priorities after Dan Loeb, an American activist investor, bought a $3.5bn (£2.74bn) stake in the firm and demanded a "bold action plan" through his firm Third Point.

Nestlé is set to follow a "value creation model" with the aim of increasing growth, improving shareholder value and becoming a more efficient business.

It has plans for "mid-single digit organic growth target by 2020" and is targeting an "underlying trading operating profit margin target of 17.5 per cen to 18.5 per cent" by 2020. The 2016 figure was up from 16 per cent.

A spokesman told investors that coffee would be a key part of the company's future.

He said: "The company will increasingly focus capital spending on advancing the high-growth food and beverage categories of coffee, petcare, infant nutrition and bottled water. It will also build on its strong position in emerging markets and pursue growth opportunities in consumer healthcare."

In Dalston, Nestlé's plant processes 65m litres of milk each year and almost 1bn sachets of Nescafé Café Menu products.

This operation employs 330 people and has been on the outskirts of the village since 1952.

The company has not commented specifically on its Cumbrian business.

Chief executive Mark Schneider said: " "Nestlé has a strong foundation, a clear path forward and a bright future. We have a proven track record of delivering sustainable, industry-leading performance.

"In line with today’s accelerating pace of change, we are intensifying our focus on innovation, operational efficiency, and portfolio management. We will grow by remaining at the forefront of consumer trends and offering the brands and products to meet people’s changing needs, especially their demand for a better, healthier life."

He added that Nestlé was also seeking to invest in new products and would accelerate share buyback schemes.