A report about Nestle, the world's largest consumer goods company, states that it is adding sugary additives like honey to its products related to milk and children, contrary to international standards aimed at preventing obesity and serious diseases.Nestle sells infant formula with higher levels of sugar in poorer countries, but not in its main markets in Europe or Britain.
China has found higher levels of sugar in two of Nestle's best-selling baby food brands. Meanwhile, the same products are sold without sugar in Britain, Germany, Switzerland, and other developed countries. This was revealed in a report by "Public Eye."
The report stated that Nestle, the world's largest consumer goods company, is adding ingredients like sugar and honey to its products related to milk and children, contrary to guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and serious diseases. This violation by Nestle has been observed in the company's products in Asian, African, and Latin American countries.
In India, how much sugar is present in Nestle's baby food products sold? According to the report, each serving of Nestle's baby food products sold in India contains approximately 3 grams of sugar. The company has not provided any information about this sugar content on the packaging. The revelation of sugar being added to products sold in poor and developing countries by Nestle came to light when the Swiss investigative organization Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) sent samples of the company's baby food products sold in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to a laboratory in Belgium for testing.
In India, how much sugar is present in Nestle's baby food products sold? According to the report, each serving of Nestle's baby food products sold in India contains approximately 3 grams of sugar. The company has not provided any information about this sugar content on the packaging. The revelation of sugar being added to products sold in poor and developing countries by Nestle came to light when the Swiss investigative organization Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) sent samples of the company's baby food products sold in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to a laboratory in Belgium for testing.
The investigation report from Public Eye, made public on Wednesday, stated that Nestle did not add any additional sugar to cereal-based baby food sold in Germany, France, and Britain for infants aged six months, while the same product contained over 5 grams of sugar per serving in Ethiopia and over 6 grams in Thailand.
After the conclusions emerged from the investigation, Nigel Rollins, a scientist from the World Health Organization, told Public Eye and IBFAN, "This is a double standard adopted by Nestle that cannot be justified." He stated that the facts indicate Nestle does not add sugar to these products in Switzerland, but is happy to do so in low-resource countries. This action by the company raises questions both on public health and ethics.
Why is sugar harmful for children? According to the report, the WHO has warned that exposure to sugar in early childhood leads to a lifelong attraction to sugar-based products, increasing the risk of obesity and other diseases. In 2022, the WHO called for a ban on sugar in infant food products and urged industries to improve their products.
What was Nestle India's response to the report? In response to the report, a spokesperson for Nestle India told the media, "Over the past five years, Nestle India has reduced the level of added sugar in our infant cereal portfolio by up to 30%..." The spokesperson added, "We regularly review our portfolio and continue to make improvements in our products by reducing the level of added sugar without compromising on quality, safety, and taste."