FFood and beverage giant Nestlé is adding sugar and honey to baby milk and cereal products in developing countries, but not in European markets, according to a new report published Wednesday.
Popular baby food from Nestlé, the world’s largest consumer goods company, worth $265.57 Billion as of April 2024, to Asia, Latin America and Africa, Zurich-based watchdog Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) have found, as part of a joint investigation. sent the samples. To a testing laboratory in Belgium. The study examined 150 products sold by the company in low- and middle-income countries, including the best-selling Cerelac and Nido brands.
“We targeted sugar because when it comes to nutritional health, sugar is the number one enemy,” Public Eye agriculture and nutrition expert Laurent Gaberell told TIME. “Exposing infants and toddlers to sugar at an early age can be very problematic. This is one of the most important factors behind the obesity crisis. “If babies are exposed to sugar, they have a higher risk of later becoming obese and suffering from adverse health problems such as diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases.”
The results of the testing found that “almost all” of Nestlé’s Cerelac wheat-based cereals, aimed at babies from six months of age in these regions, contained an average of 4 grams of added sugar per serving, or the equivalent of a sugar cube. The highest amount of sugar added to a product (7.3 grams per serving) was detected in the Philippines, followed by Nigeria with 6.8 grams and Senegal with 5.9 grams. Additionally, seven out of 15 countries did not declare added sugar on product labels.
Meanwhile, Nido’s powdered milk products for toddlers ages 1 to 3 contained almost two grams of added sugar per serving; Milk powder in Panama reached a high figure of 5.3 grams. This was followed by 4.7 grams of sugar per serving in Nicaragua and 1.8 grams in Mexico.
Public Eye and IBFAN found no sugar added to generic products in Nestlé’s home country of Switzerland, as well as other major European markets in Germany, the UK and France. The report calls this an “unfair and problematic double standard” from both ethnic and public health perspectives.
There are currently more than 1 billion people living with obesity worldwide.
“Baby food is a highly regulated category. Wherever we operate, our portfolio complies with local regulations or international standards, including labeling requirements and thresholds for carbohydrate content, including sugars,” a spokesperson for Nestlé told TIME.
Gaberell says it’s difficult to decipher how much sugar is added to a product because most manufacturers only disclose total sugar content, which can include “basically harmless” natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables. While India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa are countries that declare that Cerelac baby breakfast cereals contain added sugar, Brazil, Pakistan, the Philippines, Nigeria and Senegal do not.
European guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that no sugar or sweetening agent be used in foods intended for children under three years of age. There are no other regional guidelines, but the European recommendation can be implemented internationally.
Meanwhile, US government guidelines suggest that children under two should avoid added sugar, and the UK sets the limit for children under four. Gaberell says there is a growing consensus around the world that babies should avoid early sugar intake.
“The only reason Nestlé does this is because they know kids love candy and will come back and want their products,” Gaberell says. “Just to increase sales of their products.”
Nestlé says it has reduced the amount of sugar added to its portfolio of baby cereals worldwide by 11% over the past decade. The total amount of sugar is declared in Nestlé products, and Nido and Cerelac products have “slight differences in recipes” due to regulations and availability of local ingredients, the spokesperson said.
The report by Public Eye and IBFAN noted that influencer marketing is a key strategy used by Nestlé. Gaberell said the company uses “influencer moms” and healthcare professionals in paid partnerships that are “misleading” to the average consumer. Gaberell also notes that paid partnerships can seem like trusted expert advice when compared to traditional advertising methods.
“You’ll find nutritionists, pediatricians, and doctors online on social media promoting Nestlé products, NIDO, and Cerelac products as not only healthy for kids, but also good for their immunity, good for their brain development,” Gaberell says. and they target parents.”