Experts warn that babies and infants who ingest excessive amounts of sugar at an early age may face long-term health issues.
In Short
- Public eye and international baby food action network’s report exposes nestlé’s double standard on added sugar in baby food.
- Experts caution against the long-term health effects of excess sugar in infants’ diets.
- Nestlé responds by aiming to reduce added sugars in its products.
TFD – Dive into the controversy surrounding Nestlé baby food as global health experts warn against excessive added sugar, shedding light on this significant concern.
The Cerelac baby cereal from Nestlé is labeled as having “no added sugar” in Switzerland. However, a recent Public Eye study found that the same product includes 6 grams of added sugar per serving in Senegal and South Africa. Furthermore, a single serving of a particular variety of Cerelac cereal for infants aged one to six months in the Philippines has an astounding 7.3 grams of added sugar—nearly two teaspoons—in it.
Public Eye, an independent, nonpartisan investigative group with its headquarters in Switzerland, and International Baby Food Action Network published a report alleging that Nestlé applies a “double standard” to the development and global marketing of its well-known baby food brands.
The NGOs claim that while products sold in Europe and other countries are advertised with “no added sugars,” Nestlé adds sugars and honey to certain of its infant cereal and formula in lower-income countries. Experts in global health are alarmed by the discrepancies found in the study, which was released in the BMJ in April.
“We have reduced the sugar in many of our infant cereals,” Nestlé stated on their website. Even though some of them have added sugar, we are working to further reduce this and offer more options without added sugar.
Public Eye sent 115 baby food products under the Cerelac and Nido brands marketed by the food giant in Africa, Asia and Latin America for lab testing. According to the analysis, additional sugar was present in 94% of them.
We were able to ascertain the amount of added sugar for 67 of these goods. The study states that each serving typically contains approximately 4 grams of sugar, or roughly one [cube].
According to Public Eye researcher Laurent Gaberell, it was challenging to locate a lab to examine the global food samples.
“All the labs that we approached in Switzerland refused to work with us on the project because they feared that this project could have a negative impact on their customers,” Gaberell said. “So we had to do the work with a lab that is based in Belgium.”
Nestlé is the parent company for popular baby food brands like Cerelac and Nido. The company reports its infant nutrition products were the “largest growth contributor” out of any other category in 2023, contributing to its $11.2 net profits.
According to Gaberell, the amounts of added sugar defy worldwide recommendations for the dietary needs of young children and babies.
“There’s a general agreement that sugar has no place at all in baby food,” he stated.
According to World Health Organization rules, diets for infants under the age of three should not contain added sugar in the European Region.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has launched an independent investigation into Nestlé after the report was published according to Reuters.
“Sucrose and/or fructose shall not be added, unless needed as a carbohydrate source, and provided the sum of these does not exceed 20 per cent of total carbohydrate,” states the FSSAI website.
In reaction to the report, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control in Nigeria issued a statement stating that Nestlé products sold in the nation meet their criteria.
Nestlé stated on its website that “we started to phase out added sugars some time ago and the vast majority of these products do not contain refined sugar.” “All our infant formula products for babies under 12 months of age do not contain added sugars,” the company stated. Our goal is to achieve 100% by the close of 2024.
The Public Eye researchers were informed by WHO scientist Nigel Rollins that “such a double standard is unjustifiable.”
According to a Nestlé representative who spoke with NBC News, the business is trying to cut down on added sugars globally and has sugar-free products available in a number of nations.
Supporting the right nutritional start to life is fundamental to who we are and how we operate,” they said in a statement in response. According to the definition of nutritional balance included in widely recognized scientific guidelines and dietary recommendations, such as CODEX, all of our infant meals and milks are.
A set of global dietary guidelines and standards created in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is known as Codex Alimentarius.
Experts warn that babies and infants who ingest excessive amounts of sugar at an early age may face long-term health issues.
It’s crucial to instill good eating habits early on, the speaker stated.
“It is really important to start off young and try to decrease our relationship with sugar because it does have some addictive qualities to it, and it can change your brain,” Siddiqui said.
According to Siddiqui, parents may also be persuaded to keep purchasing baby cereals and formulas with additional sugar if their kids seem to enjoy them.
According to Siddiqui, “people who may not be doing well financially in some developing countries and even here in the US don’t want to waste the product once they buy it.” You won’t feel as though you’re squandering money or resources if your child drinks the drink that is, you know, sweeter to them because they will complete that product.
Siddiqui advised parents to treat themselves with self-compassion.
“My advice is always, you know, give yourself some grace. You’re a parent and it’s hard,” Siddiqui said. “It’s always best to read the ingredients, do the best that you can, and make sure that you’re also trying to model the behavior that you would like to see in your children.”
Gaberell suggests that Nestlé cease making any baby goods with added sugar and that local populations be educated about their customs of infant nutrition.
“You can do it anywhere in the world—you did it in Switzerland,” Gaberell asserted.
Conclusion
The Nestlé baby food controversy underscores the importance of transparency and adherence to global health guidelines in infant nutrition. This issue highlights the need for continued scrutiny and improvement in food manufacturing practices.
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