Amidst concerns raised by a report regarding sugar levels in Nestle’s baby food products sold in certain low and middle-income countries, Nestle India said on Wednesday that it has reduced “added sugars” by up to 30 percent in its infant cereals portfolio over the past five years.
According to a report from Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organization, Nestle’s baby-food brands Cerelac and Nido, sold in countries with lower and middle incomes such as India, have been found to contain high levels of “added sugar.”
In response to the report, a spokesperson from Nestle India stated, “We stand by the nutritional quality of our products designed for early childhood and make it a priority to utilize top-notch ingredients. Over the last 5 years, Nestlé India has achieved a reduction of up to 30 percent in added sugars across various variants in our range of infant cereals (complementary food based on milk cereal).”
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The company’s statement further emphasized, “We consistently assess our product range, striving for innovation and reformulation to decrease added sugar levels while maintaining uncompromised quality, safety, and flavor.”
The report, drawing from research by Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBAN), revealed that in India, “every serving of Cerelac baby cereals contains an average of nearly three grams of added sugar.”
“Public Eye and IBFAN analyzed approximately 150 products distributed by the food corporation in lower-income countries. Nearly all Cerelac infant cereals investigated were found to contain added sugar, averaging nearly 4 grams per serving, equivalent to approximately one sugar cube, despite being marketed for babies aged six months and older,” stated a press release on Public Eye’s website.
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