Nestle baby food products sold in India contain added sugar: Report

Nestle baby food products sold in India contain added sugar: Report

A report by Public Eye, a Swiss organisation and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) has revealed that baby-food products sold by Nestle in India contain high levels of added sugar, even as these products are sugar-free in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, and other developed nations.

According to the findings of the Public Eye report, all Cerelac baby products sold in India by Nestle contain an average of nearly 3 grams of sugar per serving.

The same products are being sold with no added sugar in Germany and the UK, while in Ethiopia and Thailand, it contains nearly 6 grams of added sugar, the study said.

As per the report, Nestle adds sugar to infant milk and cereal products in several African, Asian and Latin American countries, which is a violation of international guidelines.

However, in developed Western countries, Nestle followed the guidelines and sold these same products with no added sugar.

“Almost all the Cerelac infant cereals examined contain added sugar — nearly 4 grams per serving on average, equal to roughly a sugar cube — although they are targeted at babies from six months of age. The highest amount — 7.3 grams per serving — was detected in a product sold in the Philippines,” the report said.

Public Eye examined 115 products sold in Nestle’s main markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America across two key brands — Cerelac and Nodi.

Experts have called out Nestle for its alleged “double standards” after the report findings were made public.

“This is a double standard that cannot be justified….” WHO expert Nigel Rollins was quoted as saying by a UK daily who published the report saying the Swiss food giant adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in “poorer countries”.

However, a Nestle India Ltd spokesperson said the company has reduced the total amount of added sugars in its infant cereals products by 30 per cent over the past five years and it continues to “review” and “reformulate” products to reduce them further.

“We believe in the nutritional quality of our products for early childhood and prioritise using high-quality ingredients,” the spokesperson said.