Experts kick against sugar in infant formulas as Nestle denies report

Child health specialists and nutrition experts have kicked against adding sugar or honey to infant formulas.

Their reaction is coming on the heels of a recent Swiss report which revealed that Nestle, the world’s largest consumer goods company manufactures and sells infant cereal and infant formula with sugar far above recommended levels in poor countries, including Nigeria

However, Nestle has denied the report, defending that it adopts no double standard in its production.

According to the experts, what is recommended in Nigeria is exclusively breastfeeding of babies between ages zero to six months, which will be followed by complementary feeding after six months.

They noted that complementary feeding is needed to provide energy and essential nutrients required for the continued growth and development of babies.

The experts argued that the report on Nestle adding sugar or honey to infant formulas should not have risen in the first place if babies were exclusively breastfed in the first six months.

An investigation carried out by the Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, in collaboration with the International Baby Food Action Network, a coalition focused on improving maternal and infant health, showed that infant formula and cereal sold in the global south ignore the World Health Organisation anti-obesity guidelines for Europe.

The findings published recently indicated that the global food company based in Switzerland adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold to Nigeria and other countries such as India, Brazil, and the Philippines, contrary to international guidelines.

The results, and examination of product packaging, revealed added sugar in the form of sucrose or honey in samples of Nido, a follow-up milk formula brand intended for use for infants aged one and above, and Cerelac, a cereal aimed at children aged between six months and two years.

According to the report, while baby formulas sold in Europe for children 12 – 36 months contained no sugar, formulas sold to lower-income countries contained a significant amount.“Nestlé must put an end to these dangerous double standards and stop adding sugar in all products for children under three years old, in every part of the world”, Public Eye’s agriculture and nutrition expert, Laurent Gaberell, said.

Although some of these products have labels, it is, however, difficult for consumers in any country to tell whether a product contains added sugar, and how much is present, based on nutritional information printed on the packaging alone.

WHO guidelines for the European region say no added sugars or sweetening agents should be permitted in any food for children under three.

While no guidance has been specifically produced for other regions, researchers say the European document remains equally relevant to other parts of the world.

Nestle, however, in its position on the report claimed that it applies the same nutrition, health, and wellness principles everywhere while also aligning with international guidelines and regulations.

Reacting to the report, some of the experts who spoke with PUNCH Healthwise, said baby formulas are discouraged in Nigeria, stating that the national standard and recommendation is for babies to be exclusively breastfed in the first six months — exclusively breastfeeding practice.

The experts said there is no point in giving babies artificial sweeteners because they add no value to their health.

A Consultant Paediatric Haematologist and Oncologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Prof. Edamisan Temiye, said, ” The report shouldn’t even arise in the first instance if mothers were practising exclusively breastfeeding.

“Our guideline says all babies must be exclusively breastfed in the first six months. It  is recommended for babies between zero and six months. It is not in our guidelines to use infant formula.

“From six months, you start weaning the child on adult meals and we have a lot of variety of food on that. After six months of exclusively breastfeeding, you start adding semi-solid food and continue breastfeeding until two years.”

WHO says good nutrition in infancy and early childhood remains key to ensuring optimal child growth and development, and to better health outcomes later in life – including the prevention of overweight, obesity, and diet-related noncommunicable diseases.It warned that baby foods with high levels of sugar are not suitable for infants under the age of six months to prevent obesity, chronic diseases, and an addiction to sweeteners.

Continuing, the paediatrician said babies need sugar for their body to function which he said comes from natural foods and not added sugar from infant formula.

Temiye who queried why parents should feed their babies with infant formula in the first place, maintained that breast milk remains the best food for babies which he said was crucial to their optimal development.

“We don’t recommend infant formula for anybody, we recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and after six months, you start weaning the child.

“That is what we recommend. If you are giving a child infant formula, you are on your own when you are supposed to breastfeed.

” So, I don’t know where they got their report and what type of sugar they are talking about because naturally, they have to humanize the infant formula to be close to breast milk”, he said .

The don added, “In both breast milk and cow milk, there are quantities of sugar there. There is a quantity of glucose there that the child needs to live with. If you don’t have sugar in your system, you will die. Sugar is the fuel of the body.

“Of course, people should go and breastfeed their children instead of looking for something else to give them.”

Corroborating his statement, a nutritionist and Professor of Nursing Science at the University of Calabar, Cross River State, Mary Mgbekem, kicked against adding sugar or honey to infant formulas, stating that it would make children want to eat more and expose them to the risk of obesity.

Mgbekem said the recommendation for infant feeding in Nigeria is exclusive breast in the first six months of life.The nutritionist noted, “Even though Nestle is a big company, they should not do that. Both sugar and honey should not be added to infant formula because natural foods have sugar.

“What we recommend is exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months. After six months of exclusive breastfeeding, we have enough local foods that we can mix and give to our babies. And they come out fine.  So, there should not be any addition of sugar or honey.”

Also, a registered Dietician-Nutritionist at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nwabumma Asouzu, says feeding children with foods with artificial sweeteners could lead to organ failure.

The dietician stressed that since most artificial sweeteners do not come from natural products and the human body cannot metabolize them, a child may develop several symptoms when taking these sweeteners over some time.

Giving insight into the risks, the dietician said, “ Artificial sweeteners affect their growth and hamper a lot of things in their body. You know that all these things are being processed by the liver and you know that the liver is still at the growing and maturing age.

“So, their system is not yet ready to handle some of the synthetic things coming in. By the time all these detoxifications will be taking place in the liver, they are kind of burdening the liver and in the long run, they might have an organ failure. So, children may have an organ failure by consuming artificial sweeteners.”