Nestlé is adding sugar to children food sold in Nigeria and other developing countries where regulations are lax, whereas products sold in developed countries go without sugar, a report has found.
Campaigners at a Swizz investigative organization, Public Eye, found high levels of sugar in two of the most popular food brands made by Nestle for children: Nido and Cerelac. Sugar was found only in products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
In Nestlé’s main European markets, including the UK, France, Germany and its home country of Switzerland, there was no added sugar in formulas for young children.
The group also found that Cerelac infant cereals for babies sold in Nigeria contained second highest level of sugar amongst dozens of countries measured.
A spokesperson for Nestlé Nigeria told Pluboard she could not provide a response immediately.
The UK Guardian quoted a Nestlé spokesperson as saying: “We believe in the nutritional quality of our products for early childhood and prioritise using high-quality ingredients adapted to the growth and development of children.”
She said that within the “highly regulated” category of baby food, Nestlé always complied “with local regulations or international standards, including labelling requirements and thresholds on carbohydrate content that encompasses sugars” and declared total sugars in its products, including those coming from honey.
Unhealthy for children
Adding sugar to children’s food directly contradicts international guidelines aimed at curbing obesity, dental issues, and chronic diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that early exposure to sugar creates a lifelong preference for sweet products, raising the risk of obesity and other chronic illnesses. Since 2022, the WHO has even called for a ban on added sugar in food for children under three.
However, Nestlé presents a concerning contrast. While publicly advocating for avoiding sugary baby foods, it exploits loopholes in regulations to continue selling such products in developing countries.
Public Eye’s investigation found deceptive marketing tactics as Nestlé leverages medical professionals and social media influencers to gain parental trust in their products.
“Double standard”
Campaigners sent samples of Nestlé’s baby-food products sold in different parts of the world to a Belgian laboratory for testing.
The results revealed the presence of added sugar in both Nido (a follow-up milk formula for infants aged one and above) and Cerelac (a cereal for children aged six months to two years). Specifically:
Nido:
- Panama had the highest sugar content, with 5.3 grams per portion.
- Nicaragua followed closely with 4.7 grams.
- Nido sold in Nigeria contained only 0.6 grams of sugar.
- Interestingly, Nido in the United Kingdom and Germany had no added sugar.
Cerelac:
- Nigeria ranked second (after the Philippines) with a high sugar content of 6.8 grams.
- Cerelac sold in Germany and the UK was sugar-free.
- However, the same Cerelac product contained over 5 grams per serving in Ethiopia and 6 grams in Thailand.
“There is a double standard here that can’t be justified,” said Nigel Rollins, a scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), told Public Eye.
He said Nestlé did not add sugar to the products in Switzerland, but did so in poorer countries. He declared this act “problematic both from a public health and ethical perspective.”
He also feared the tactic of getting children used to a certain level of sugar early on was geared towards them preferring products high in sugar.
“This is totally inappropriate,” he said.
Learn More
A spokesperson for Nigeria’s food and drug regulator told Pluboard the agency uses stringent international standards to evaluate and certify all products used in the country.
“We don’t just approve anything. If this was approved that means it is permissible for use in the country,” said Christy Obiazikwor, deputy director for public affairs at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The food giant controls 20 percent of the global baby-food market, valued at nearly $70 billion. Cerelac and Nido are some of Nestlé’s best-selling baby-food brands in low- and middle-income countries. The company also makes Milo, Nescafe, Golden Morn, Maggi among others.
Nestlé Nigeria reported a loss after tax of N79.5 billion for 2023, after the business was hit by naira devaluation.
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