Nestle, the world’s largest baby food producer, has been accused of adding sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer nations. Experts have suggested that infants should not be given honey because it occasionally contains bacteria that can produce toxins in a baby’s intestines, resulting in infant botulism, a severe sickness.
It is also suggested that parents should avoid giving sugary snacks and drinks (including fruit juice and other fruit drinks) to prevent tooth decay. Honey is a type of sugar, so avoiding it will help prevent tooth decay.
The report shows how Nestle uses sugar extensively in infant products marketed in low-income nations
Campaigners from Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organization, sent samples of a substance distributed in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to a Belgian laboratory for testing.
The International Infant Food Action Network and Public Eye investigated the content of around 100 infant foods sold by Nestlé worldwide.
During testing, the lab analyzed both the product and its packaging. The findings revealed that the company used sugar in the form of sucrose or honey in samples of Nido, a milk formula brand designed for infants aged one and up. Such substances were also found in Cerelac, a cereal marketed to kids aged six months to two years.
According to a detailed study by swissinfo.ch, Cerelac contains six grams of sugar per portion, which is equivalent to about one and a half sugar cubes per meal in South Africa. However, the same is not reflected on the packaging of similar products in Switzerland, where “no added sugar” appears prominently.
The report shows how the company uses sugar extensively in infant products marketed to low-income nations, while it has eliminated the ingredient in Europe.
The alarming research came amid the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation that sugar be removed from young children’s diets. In a separate survey, the World Health Organization reported that obesity is becoming more prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.
As noted, Laurent Gabrell, co-author of the Public Eye report, said: “By adding sugar to these products, Nestlé’s sole aim—and that of other manufacturers too – is to create an addiction or dependency in children, because they like the taste of sugar. And so, if the products are very sweet, they’ll be asking for more in the future.”