An investigation by a Swiss NGO revealed high levels of added sugar in Nestle baby food products sold in developing countries.
Why the Nido and Cerelac sold in Nigeria is unhealthy
Nestle products, Nido products, and Cerelac products sold in Nigeria contain more sugar than those sold in European countries.
Nestle products in poorer countries contains sugar [cablelifestyle]
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Samples of Nido milk formula (for children aged 1+) and Cerelac infant cereal (for ages 6 months to 2 years) from Asia, Africa, and Latin America were tested by a Belgian lab. The testing found sucrose and honey as added sugars in these products.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends no added sugar for children under three in Europe. Sugar consumption in newborns and young children is needless and addicting, resulting in a negative loop of craving sugary foods raising the risk of food related conditions in adulthood.
![The Nido and Cerelac sold in African countries contains sugar [businessstandard]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'696'%20height%3D'391'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "The Nido and Cerelac sold in African countries contains sugar [businessstandard]")
The Nido and Cerelac sold in African countries contains sugar [businessstandard]
Pulse Nigeria
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While there are no specific guidelines for other countries, many experts believe the same principles should apply globally.
A sample from Nigeria even had up to 6.8 grammes of added sugar. Cerelac in India contained an average of over 2.7 grammes of added sugar per serving. In Brazil (where Cerelac is called Mucilon), six out of eight samples had nearly four grams of added sugar per serving
A Nestle spokesperson defended the company's practices. They told the Guardian that they prioritise using high-quality ingredients for child development and comply with local regulations and international standards regarding labelling and sugar content.
While adhering to technical regulations, they may not be prioritising the health of children globally by adding unnecessary sugar to baby food.
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