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Nestlé adds sugar to infant milk sold in poorer countries, report finds (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 7 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

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Swiss food firm’s infant formula and cereal sold in global south ignore WHO anti-obesity guidelines for Europe, says Public Eye

Nestlé, the world’s largest consumer goods company, adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries, contrary to international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases, a report has found.

Campaigners from Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, sent samples of the Swiss multinational’s baby-food products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America to a Belgian laboratory for testing.

The results, and examination of product packaging, revealed added sugar in the form of sucrose or honey in samples of Nido, a follow-up milk formula brand intended for use for infants aged one and above, and Cerelac, a cereal aimed at children aged between six months and two years.

In Nestlé’s main European markets, including the UK, there is no added sugar in formulas for young children. While some cereals aimed at older toddlers contain added sugar, there is none in products targeted at babies between six months and one year.

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[-] tortillaPeanuts@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

2 to 6.8 grams of sugar is less than 2 teaspoons, it's not much sugar. The US guidelines recommend substituting no-calorie sweeteners instead, so it's probably just a manufacturing issue not some evil corporate plot. Also the honey is in a product for kids 1 year and older which is safe.

[-] Sentrovasi@kbin.social 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Just a small but very important correction: the article says 6 grams per serving. Giving them two extra teaspoons with the small amount that babies take is much more significant.

EDIT: A quick search said that one serving of baby food tends to be around 75g? That means that that's 8% of it being pure sugar.

[-] SoleInvictus 3 points 7 months ago

That's a decent amount for a small child, about half the maximum daily intake for a one year old. The recommended amount for children up to four (at least in the UK) is none.

[-] sirico@feddit.uk 2 points 7 months ago

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[-] maniel@sopuli.xyz 2 points 7 months ago

Why in poor countries? Why not in more developed markets? Is lack of regulations the main reason?

[-] Blackmist@feddit.uk 1 points 7 months ago

Sugar tax maybe?

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[-] autotldr@lemmings.world 2 points 7 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Nestlé, the world’s largest consumer goods company, adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries, contrary to international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases, a report has found.

Laurent Gaberell, Public Eye’s agriculture and nutrition expert, said: “Nestlé must put an end to these dangerous double standards and stop adding sugar in all products for children under three years old, in every part of the world.”

It is not always easy for consumers in any country to tell whether a product contains added sugar, and how much is present, based on nutritional information printed on packaging alone.

The UK recommends that children under four avoid food with added sugars because of risks including weight gain and tooth decay.

Biscuit-flavoured cereals for babies aged six months and older contained 6g of added sugar for every serving in Senegal and South Africa, researchers found.

A Nestlé spokesperson said: “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.”

The original article contains 774 words, the summary contains 180 words. Saved 77%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[-] jellyhuemul@feddit.cl 2 points 7 months ago

Until recently in my country, baby formula for babies from 0 to 6 months had to be prepared with 3 grams of sugar or maltodextrin (and 2 ml of vegetal oil) every 100 ml (we had to add it manually along the formula powder). Because it was not enough. It changed because now we have access to formula that doesnt need to be modified to meet babies needs. Maybe the "per serving" in the article is misleading, and I didnt find a direct comparison between the exact product for the same age in the article. And, I don't defend Nestlé either but I think the information given is very incomplete and only creates worry. English is not my first language.

[-] coolteathatisgreen@lemm.ee 1 points 4 months ago

Maybe they are trying to cut cost to able to sell cheap in poor country

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this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2024

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