Nestle adds sugar in Cerelac in India but not in Europe: Report

New Delhi: On Nestle, the world’s largest consumer products company, the report said it is adding items like sugar and honey to milk and children’s products, in stark contrast to the international standards issued to prevent obesity and serious diseases. Children’s milk sold by Nestle in poor countries contains high amounts of sugar but this is not the case in the main markets of Europe or Britain.

Nestle’s two best-selling baby food brands have been found to be high in China, while the same products are being sold without sugar in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and other developed countries.

The report said Nestle is adding sugar and honey to milk and baby products contrary to the guidelines issued to prevent obesity and serious diseases.

According to the report, there is about 3 grams of sugar in every serving of Nestle’s children’s products sold in India.

The company has not given any information about this amount of sugar on the packet. For six-month-olds sold by Nestle in Germany, France and the UK, sugar was not found in cerelac wheat-based grains, while Ethiopia had 5 grams of sugar in a single product and Thailand had more than 6 grams of sugar, the report said.

In 2022, the World Health Organization called for a ban on adding sugar to children’s diet. In response to the report, a Nestle India spokesperson told the media that in 5 years, Nestle India has reduced the amount of sugar added to the child grain portfolio by 30%. The company will continue to improve its products even further.