Cerelac (baby porridge)

2024: Nestle adds' unhealthy 'volume of sugar to foods to put kids on sweets

In mid-April 2024, it became known that Nestle practices double standards in the production of baby food. Products supplied to low- and middle-income countries contain increased amounts of sugar, whereas the same products for high-income states, including Switzerland, meet the established requirements.

The report, prepared by specialists from Public Eye and the International Infant and Early Childhood Food Surveillance Network (IBFAN), said Nestle adds an "unhealthy" volume of sugar to products that are targeted at selected markets in Southeast Asia, Africa, etc. The addition of sugar can have an impact on children's emerging taste preferences, leading to an addiction to sugary foods. In the future, this can lead to the development of obesity and other undesirable consequences.

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Nestle

Experts have carefully studied about 150 products that Nestle sells in low-income countries. Almost all of Cerelac's baby porridge examined contains added sugar - an average of about 4 grams per serving, despite being designed for children as young as six months of age. The largest amount - 7.3 grams per serving - was found in products sold in the Philippines. Most of the Nido dry milk mixes analyzed for young children (one to three years old) also contain added sugar - an average of almost 2 grams per serving. The maximum value (5.3 grams) was found in a product sold in Panama. In Switzerland and in the main European markets of Nestle's presence, such products are sold without added sugar.

However, from 2022, the UN calls for a ban on the addition of sugar to products for babies and children under three years old. Fruits and vegetables, which naturally contain sugar, are suitable for nutrition in infants and young children, however, the very high content of free sugars in mixtures and cereals is of great concern to experts.^[1]

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