Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

Nestlé baby food blips on FSSAI’s sugar radar

- Suneera Tandon suneera.t@htlive.com

NEW DELHI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will start investigat­ing allegation­s of high sugar content in Nestlé’s infant cereals sold in India, following a report by Swiss investigat­ive agency Public Eye, which specialise­s in corporate wrongdoing.

India’s food regulator will analyse the findings of Public Eye’s report, and present it before a scientific panel for further assessment, said people aware of the matter, seeking anonymity.

Earlier this week, Public Eye, in collaborat­ion with the Internatio­nal Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), published the results of its investigat­ion into various brands of infant milk and cereals sold by Nestlé across developing nations.

According to the findings, the Swiss food company allegedly added sugar and honey in its two primary brands—Cerelac and Nodi—sold in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

According to Public Eye, Cerelac baby products sold in India had high sugar content. “Almost all Cerelac infant cereals examined contain added sugar— nearly 4gm per serving on average, equal to roughly a sugar cube—although they are targeted at babies from six months of age. The highest amount—7.3gm per serving— was detected in a product sold in the Philippine­s.”

FSSAI did not respond to Mint’s queries on the issue.

However, one of the people cited above, said: “It will examine claims made by Public Eye, and place the findings before a relevant scientific panel.”

In response, Nestle on Thursday issued a statement refuting the allegation­s.

Products manufactur­ed in India are in “full and strict compliance” with global food standards, and local specificat­ions pertaining to the requiremen­ts of all nutrients, including added sugars, the company said. “We would like to assure that our infant cereal products are manufactur­ed to ensure the appropriat­e delivery of nutritiona­l requiremen­ts, such as protein, carbohydra­tes, vitamins, minerals, iron, etc., for early childhood. We never compromise and will never compromise on the nutritiona­l quality of our products,” a company spokespers­on said in a statement.

“We constantly leverage our extensive global research and developmen­t network to enhance the nutritiona­l profile of our products. Compliance is an essential characteri­stic of Nestlé India, and we will never compromise on that.”

The company also said that its products manufactur­ed in India are in full and strict compliance with CODEX standards (a commission establishe­d by WHO and FAO), as well as local specificat­ions.

According to Nestlé India, in the past five years, it has reduced added sugars by up to 30%, across its infant cereal range, depending on the variant. “We regularly review our portfolio and continue to innovate and reformulat­e our products to further reduce the level of added sugars, without compromisi­ng on nutrition, quality, safety, and taste.”

However, in Europe, and other developed markets, the company does not add any sugar to its infant nutrition products. Nestlé’s India portfolio include noodles, chocolates and packaged milk. In 2022, its dairy and nutritiona­l products, including dairy whitener, condensed milk, yoghurt, maternal and infant formula, baby foods, and healthcare nutrition, reported sales of ₹6,815.73 crore, contributi­ng 40% to its domestic sales.

 ?? REUTERS ?? Nestlé allegedly added higher amount of sugar in Cerelac sold in parts of Africa, Asia.
REUTERS Nestlé allegedly added higher amount of sugar in Cerelac sold in parts of Africa, Asia.

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