Nestle baby food. Photo: Public Eye
Our reporter
A recent report by the Swiss investigative organisation, Public Eye, reveals that Nestle, a global food and beverage company, has been selling substandard baby food products with high levels of added sugar in low-income African countries, especially Nigeria, Latin America, and Asia.
The report stated that such products are, however, sugar-free in its home country of Switzerland and the UK.
While Nestle claims to fill nutritional gaps for mothers and babies, whether they are exclusively formula-fed, breastfed, or a mix of both, the report proved otherwise.
According to the report titled “How Nestle gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income countries”, carried out in collaboration with the International Baby Food Action Network, the infant cereal brand Cerelac and Nido, which is a follow-up milk formula, produced specifically for children between six months and two years old, have added sugars averaging nearly four grams per serving.
During the investigation, samples of Nestle’s baby food products sold in Africa, Asia, and Latin America were sent to Belgium for laboratory analysis, and shocking findings showed high traces of sugar like sucrose or honey.
“On average, our analysis found almost 4 grams per serving or about one sugar cube,” it stated.
Based on the report, Cerelac found in the Nigerian market had the second-highest sugar content, with 6.8g per serving, followed closely by the Philippines, with 7.3g.
Also, Nigeria ranked 7th out of 10 countries with high added sugar content in Nido powdered milk products for young children from one to three years old, while samples from Nigeria and Senegal ranked 8th, with 0.6g.
Alarmingly, the highest sugar content was found in samples taken from Panama, which revealed 5.3g per serving, followed by Nicaragua with 4.7g; Mexico 1.8g; Costa Rica 1.6g; South Africa 0.9g; and Indonesia 0.7g.
Cerelac and Nido, according to the report, are some of Nestlé’s best-selling baby food brands in low- and middle-income countries.
It noted that based on exclusive data obtained from Euromonitor, a market analysis firm specializing in the food industry, their sales value in this category was greater than $2.5 billion in 2022.
“In its own communications or via third parties, Nestlé promotes Cerelac and Nido as brands whose aim is to help children ‘live healthier lives’. Fortified with vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients, these products are, according to the multinational, tailored to the needs of babies and young children and help to strengthen their growth, immune system, and cognitive development,” it stated.
The report, which indicated a practice of double standard, noted that for example, in Switzerland, Nestlé promotes its biscuit-flavoured cereals for babies aged from six months with the claim “no added sugar”, while in Senegal and South Africa, Cerelac cereals with the same flavour contain six grams of added sugar per serving.
“Similarly, in Germany, France, and the UK – Nestlé’s main European markets, all formulas for young children aged 12-36 months sold by the company contain no added sugar. And while some infant cereals for young children over one-year-old contain added sugar, cereals for babies aged six months do not.
“Cerelac wheat-based cereals for six-month-old babies sold by Nestlé in Germany and the UK have no added sugar, while the same product contains over 5 grams per serving in Ethiopia and 6 grams in Thailand.
According to the views of paediatricians and child nutrition experts reflected in the report, “Nestle’s action is a reflection of a double standard that is unjustifiable and problematic, especially from an ethical and public health perspective, particularly in view of the obesity epidemic affecting low-income countries.”
Meanwhile, while condemning findings from the report on the eve of its Annual General Meeting, in a statement titled “For Nestlé, not all babies are equal when it comes to added sugar”, IBFAN declared that it has written a petition demanding that “Nestlé put an end to this unjustifiable and harmful double standard, which contributes to the explosive rise of obesity and leads children to develop a lifelong preference for sugary products.
“Whereas Nestlé recommends publicly avoiding baby foods that contain added sugar, it takes advantage of the weakness of existing regulations to continue selling such products in lower-income countries.
“Furthermore, the investigation by Public Eye and IBFAN shows that the Swiss multinational uses misleading marketing strategies, such as utilizing medical professionals and social media influencers to win the trust of parents in its products.
“A petition launched today demands that Nestlé put an end to these dangerous practices and stop adding sugar in products for babies and young children under three years old, in every part of the world.”
Meanwhile, the investigative report’s findings are against the World Health Organisation guidelines on sugar for infants.
According to the WHO, sugar is not recommended for infants as it can raise the risk of long-term health issues, making them susceptible to non-communicable diseases like diabetes and other chronic diseases.
The global health body warns that added sugar contributes to the overall energy density of diets and may promote a positive energy balance.
It noted that sustaining energy balance is critical to maintaining a healthy body weight and ensuring optimal nutrient intake.
WHO raised concern over increasing intake of free sugars – particularly in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages, warning that it increases overall energy intake and may reduce the intake of foods containing more nutritionally adequate calories, leading to an unhealthy diet, weight gain, and increased risk of NCDs.
Meanwhile, Nestle Nigeria, a subsidiary of Nestle, has denied findings from the investigation, defending that adding sugar to its baby formula and cereals sold in Nigeria has not in any way violated the global guidelines for infant formulas.
In a statement issued to the media by the company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Victoria Uwadoka, it clarified that it complies with the global requirements on the usage of sugar and as well supplies quality products to every part of the world.
According to the multinational company, when it comes to the production of food products, it does not deviate from the same health, nutrition, and wellness principles obtainable everywhere in the world.
It, however, noted that Cerelac may have slight variations in recipes worldwide, adding, “In Europe, Nestle’s range of cereals comes with and without added sugars.
“Like everywhere in the world, in Nigeria, we do not add sugars (sucrose and glucose) to Infant formula for children aged 0-12 months.
“These principles are aligned with both international and local guidelines, noting that baby formulas in Nigeria for children 0-12 do not add sugar contents. Nigeria, our Growing Up Milk have no added sugars.
“Our milk and cereals for young children are fortified with vitamins and minerals such as iron to help tackle malnutrition.”
When confronted with findings from the report, a scientist at the World Health Organization, Nigel Rollins, said, “There is a double standard here that can’t be justified.”
Rollins stated that the fact that Nestle does not add sugar to these products in Switzerland but is quite happy to do it in lower-resource settings is problematic both from a public health and ethical perspective.
He said manufacturers may try to get children accustomed to a certain level of sugar at a very early age and insisted, “This is totally inappropriate.”
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