Nestlé adds sugar to baby milk and cereals in poorer countries

FFood and beverage giant Nestlé adds sugar and honey to its infant milk and cereal products in developing countries but not in European markets, according to a new report published Wednesday.

On a joint investigation, Zurich-based watchdog Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) sent samples of popular baby foods in Asia, Latin America and Africa from Nestlé – the world’s largest consumer goods company worth US$265.57 billion April 2024 – to a testing laboratory in Belgium. The study examined 150 products sold by the company in low- and middle-income countries, including best-selling brands Cerelac and Nido.

“We focused on sugar because it is enemy number one when it comes to nutritional health,” Laurent Gaberell, agriculture and nutrition expert at Public Eye, tells TIME. “Sugar exposure in babies and young children can be very problematic. It is one of the main factors behind the obesity crisis. If babies are exposed to sugar, they essentially run a greater risk of becoming obese later in life and suffering adverse health outcomes such as diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases.”

Test results revealed that “almost all” Nestlé’s Cerelac wheat-based cereals in these regions, intended for children six months of age and older, contained added sugar equivalent to an average of 4 grams per serving, or one cube of sugar. sugar. The highest volume of sugar added to a product, 7.3 grams per serving, was detected in the Philippines, followed by 6.8 grams in Nigeria and 5.9 grams in Senegal. Furthermore, seven of the 15 countries did not declare on product labels that added sugar was added.

Meanwhile, Nido powdered milk products aimed at children aged one to three contained almost two grams of added sugar per serving, with powdered milk in Panama recording highs of 5.3 grams. This was followed by findings of 4.7 grams of sugar per serving in Nicaragua and 1.8 grams in Mexico.

Public Eye and IBFAN found that sugar was not added to equivalent products in Nestlé’s home country of Switzerland, as well as other major European markets in Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The report calls this a “double standard that is unjustifiable and problematic,” both from an ethnic and public health perspective.

Currently there are more than 1 billion people around the world living with obesity.

In a statement to TIME, a Nestlé spokesperson said: “Baby food is a highly regulated category. Wherever we operate, our portfolio complies with local regulations or international standards, including labeling requirements and limits on carbohydrate content that includes sugars.”

Gaberell says it’s difficult to decipher how much sugar is added to a product, as most manufacturers only disclose the total sugar content, which can include “basically harmless” natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables. India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa are countries that disclose added sugars in Cerelac children’s cereals, while countries such as: Brazil, Pakistan, Philippines, Nigeria, Senegal do not.

The World Health Organization (WHO) European guidelines recommend that no sugar or sweeteners be used in the diet of children under three years of age. There are no other regional guidelines, but the European suggestion is applicable internationally.

About that US government guidelines suggest that children under two years of age avoid added sugars, and the United Kingdom marks this limit in children under four years of age. Gaberell says there is a growing consensus around the world for babies to avoid early sugar consumption.

“The only reason Nestlé does this is basically because they know that kids like sugar and that they will come back and want their product,” says Gaberell. “It’s just to increase sales of your product.”

Nestlé says it has reduced the amount of sugar added to its global baby cereal portfolio by 11% over the past decade. The spokesperson said total sugars are declared on Nestlé products and that Nido and Cerelac products have “slight variations in recipes” due to regulations and the availability of local ingredients.

The Public Eye and IBFAN report noted that influencer marketing was a key strategy employed by Nestlé. Gaberell said the company uses “mom influencers” and health experts in paid partnerships that “mislead” the average consumer. Gaberell also notes that paid partnerships can feel like trusted expert advice compared to conventional advertising methods.

“You will find nutritionists, pediatricians, doctors on social media who promote Nestlé, NIDO and Cerelac products as healthy for children, good for their immunity and good for brain development,” says Gaberell. “The problem is that they target mothers and fathers with this type of content.”