Nestlé In Spotlight Again Over Sugar In Baby Foods

Credit: Public Eye.

Nestlé is facing renewed disapproval of “double standards” for nan levels of sweetener successful baby-food products sold successful emerging markets.

Public Eye, a Zurich-based NGO that has been moving alongside various civilian nine organisations successful Africa, has published caller investigation aft studying Cerelac babe cereal sold successful nan region.

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According to nan NGO, its investigation showed added sweetener successful much than 90% of nan tested samples of connected mean almost six grams per serving, balanced to one-and-a-half sweetener cubes.

Public Eye said nan magnitude is 50% higher than nan mean showed successful a study it ran past year.

Reacting to nan latest accusations, Nestlé said it “disagreed” pinch nan report, which nan Swiss elephantine said “contains misleading and unfounded allegations”.

The NGO collected astir 100 Cerelac products sold successful 20 African countries and had them tested by Inovalys, a French laboratory focused connected nan agri-food sector.

Public Eye said nan magnitude of added sweetener recovered successful nan samples of products successful Africa was double nan magnitude detected successful India, a awesome marketplace for nan Cerelac brand.

The highest level recorded successful Africa was 7.5 grams per serving – astir 2 sweetener cubes – successful a Cerelac merchandise sold successful Kenya for babies arsenic young arsenic six months.

Products containing astatine slightest 7 grams of added sweetener per serving were recovered successful 7 African countries.

Except for 2 caller products successful South Africa, each sugar-free Cerelac products recovered successful Africa were imported from Europe by “other actors” and not primitively intended for nan African market, nan NGO said.

Conversely, successful Switzerland, Nestlé’s location market, its flagship babe cereal marque contains zero added sugar, Public Eye added. Cerelac products sold successful Germany and nan UK for babies from six months onwards besides incorporate nary added sugar. Public Eye called nan differences an “unacceptable double standard”.

African civilian nine organisations including nan International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) and Nigeria’s Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF) person written to Nestlé CEO Philipp Navratil demanding nan world removal of added sweetener from each babe foods, successful statement pinch World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

“If added sweetener is not suitable for Swiss and European children, it is not suitable for children successful Africa and beyond,” nan missive read.

The organisations accused Nestlé of “deliberately putting nan wellness of African babies astatine consequence for profit”, saying that nan patient is “well aware” of nan wellness risks linked to sugared babe food.

The Public Eye study besides revealed nan “lack of transparency” successful packaging.

It highlighted that for astir two-thirds of nan analysed products, nan magnitude of added sweetener was not disclosed connected nan packaging.

Reacting to nan accusations, Nestlé said successful a connection to Just Food: “We disagree pinch this study arsenic it contains misleading and unfounded allegations. We do not person double standards, our attack to nutrition is accordant crossed each countries.”

The institution emphasised that sweetener levels successful its babe cereals are “well below” nan standards group by Codex Alimentarius, pinch nan products’ creation and declarations connected packaging “fully aligned” pinch section regulatory requirements.

Nestlé called it “misleading and scientifically inaccurate to mention to nan sugars coming from nan cereals and people coming successful fruits arsenic refined sugars added to nan products”.

“If we exclude sugars coming from ingredients for illustration milk, cereals and fruit, our Cerelac babe cereals do not incorporate nan levels of added refined sugars mentioned successful nan report.”

The institution besides said it is “accelerating” nan motorboat of no-added-sugar variants, including successful Africa. Nestlé said nan products are disposable successful “97%” of markets and is aiming to scope 100% by nan extremity of nan year.

“We connection variants pinch and without added sugars positioned successful nan aforesaid value scope successful some Africa and Europe,” it added.