Nestlé continues to include sugar in most baby cereals available in Africa, as revealed by an inquiry conducted by activists who have critic...
Nestlé continues to include sugar in most baby cereals available in Africa, as revealed by an inquiry conducted by activists who have criticized the company for "endangering the health of African infants for financial gain."
The food company faced allegations of "double standards" regarding the researchers' findings, which occur as childhood obesity rates increase across the continent, leading to demands for Nestlé to eliminate all added sugar from baby food items.
Nestlé labeled the inquiry, conducted by Public Eye—a Swiss organization that refers to itself as a global justice group—as "misleading." A company representative stated that making cereals sweet enough to appeal to infants was essential in addressing malnutrition. The company claims their formulas adhered to the standards established by local regulations in the respective countries.
Researchers from Public Eye collaborated with activists across over 20 African nations to purchase 94 samples of Cerelac baby food products intended for children six months and older, which were then sent to a lab for testing.
The lab detected added sugar in over 90% of baby cereals, with an average content of 6g, equivalent to one-and-a-half teaspoons, per serving.
Most items that did not contain added sugar were imported, they mentioned, and were initially meant for sale in Europe, with the exception of two versions that were recently introduced in South Africa.
The quantity of added sugar detected varied from approximately 5g per serving for items available in Egypt, Madagascar, South Africa, Malawi, and Nigeria to 7.5g in a product sold in Kenya.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for foods intended for children younger than three suggest that these items should not include "any added sugars or sweetening substances," primarily due to the potential to establish lasting preferences for sweetened products.
A report by Public Eye, released in April 2024, revealed that Nestlé was incorporating sugar and honey into infant formula and cereal products available in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, whereas similar products in wealthier nations contained no additional sugar.
In a letter addressed to Nestlé's CEO Philipp Navratil, 12 African civil society and consumer groups state: "You are aware of alternative approaches. However, you intentionally chose to provide children in Africa with less nutritious choices."
Following Public Eye's 2024 inquiry, Nestlé stated its goal to launch sugar-free variants of Cerelac in every market.
Nevertheless, advocates claimed this was "not enough, coming too late," and urged the company to cease adding sugar to infant foods.
They stated: "By including sugar in infant cereals, Nestlé is endangering the health of African infants for financial gain." They accused the company of contributing to "a preventable public health disaster," noting that an outbreak of diet-related non-communicable diseases is increasing throughout the continent.
Peggy Diby, the global head of corporate affairs at Nestlé Nutrition, stated: "These claims are baseless and suggest actions that go against all our principles. We disagree with the Public Eye report. It is inaccurate. We do not hold double standards regarding early childhood nutrition."
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