More added sugar in Nestlé's Nido, Cerelac in Bangladesh, other Asian countries compared to Western markets

Not all babies are equal, at least in Nestlé's eyes, according to a report recently published by Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation. 

According to its investigations, traces of sugar and honey have been found in infant milk and cereal products Nestlé sells in many poorer countries, including Bangladesh, in violation of international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases. 

The same was not the case in Europe, where there was no added sugar.

In Bangladesh, added per serving (in grammes) in Cerelac were found to be 3.3g. The added sugar content is declared on the packaging, but the associated risks are glossed over.  

The case was similar for Nido, another popular brand. 

In India and Pakistan it was 2.7g, although no declaration was found on the packaging tested from the latter.  

 The highest of 6.8g was found in Nigeria, followed by Senegal and Vietnam. 

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. 

The presence of such sugar content is alarming in Bangladesh, where there is a growing prevalence of obesity. 

Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, professor and head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research, National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, has been researching non-communicable diseases and harmful aspects of salt and sugar in food in Bangladesh for a long time. 

Speaking to The Business Standard, he said added sugar and honey were used in baby food to make it tastier.

Babies would then gain more weight from the intake of such added sugar.

"Later, they can't eat less sweet food. It is definitely harmful to health. After long-term consumption of such foods, children will gain weight and there will be heightened risk of various types of non-communicable diseases," he said. 

 Although Bangladesh doesn't have a guideline governing added sugar or sweetening agents for children under three, the WHO guidelines – which forbid it – for the European region are considered to be globally relevant.

But Dr Sohel thinks some governance from the local standpoint is crucial. 

"There's a reason why countries impose limits on how much sugar or salt can be added to any consumable. But there is no such rule in our country. There is no policy on how much sugar or salt will be in processed packaged food," he said. 

He also said they have repeatedly made calls to formally institute such policies.

"If the amount of sugar and salt cannot be determined, then there should be a warning sign stating that these foods are high in salt or sugar. Consumers will then choose to eat or refrain from eating those foods on their own initiative. But now, people are consuming excess salt and sugar without knowing about it," he said.

In regards to lack of relevant laws, president of the Infant and Young Children Nutrition Association Iftekhar Rashid said the Codex Alimentarius (food code), a collection of internationally adopted food standards, guidelines and codes of practice had already set out parametres to maintain when importing food. 

"Fifty countries, including Bangladesh, follow the parametres. Each product goes through rigorous testing," he said. 

Rashid, also the managing director of Baby Nutrition,  a specialised company in infant and toddler food marketing and distribution in Bangladesh, however, said different countries had different cultural preferences. 

"Coke is considered the most standardised product, but in Europe it's less sweet than in Asia. It is also the most sugary in the Middle East," he pointed out.

He said each country could have their own set of guidelines based on their needs. 

On the issue of labels addressing high sugar content, he said it was a localised matter. "Local laws can be made to decide these things. If local laws said such a label was necessary, then of course it would be there in all relevant products."

Rashid also pointed out that products released in the market were approved by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution, which adhered to the  Codex Alimentarius. 

According to the Bangladesh Demography and Health Survey (BDHS) 2011, the prevalence of underweight in the country was 30.4%, overweight was 18.9% and obesity was 4.6% among adults. By 2017–2018, the prevalence of overweight/obesity exceeded the prevalence of underweight. 

'Unjustified double standard'

Public Eye, the 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 tests revealed the presence of 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.

"While in Switzerland, where the company is headquartered, the main infant cereals and formula brands sold by the multinational come without added sugar, most Cerelac and Nido products marketed in lower-income countries do contain added sugar, often at high levels." the Public Eye said in its report. 

"There is a double standard here that can't be justified," said Nigel Rollins, a scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), while speaking to the Public Eye.

He said Nestlé did not add sugar to the products in Switzerland, but did so in lower resource settings as "problematic both from a public health and ethical perspective."

He also feared the tactic of getting children used to a certain level of sugar early on was geared towards them preferring products high in sugar.

"This is totally inappropriate," he told the Public Eye.

Nestlé Bangladesh is one of the top infant formula manufacturers, which has been marketing baby food in Bangladesh for almost three decades. 

In 2021, the company also set up a processing, filling and packaging plant in the country 

According to sources, Nestlé owned a major portion of Bangladesh's Tk4,000 crore baby food market. 

Nestlé supplies 55-60% out of 10,000 tonnes of baby food products a year.

'Products manufactured in compliance with international standards'

Meanwhile, Nestlé Banladesh today said its products manufactured in Bangladesh are in full and strict compliance with international standards and local specifications.

"Compliance is an essential characteristic of Nestlé Bangladesh and we will never compromise on that," Debabrata Roy Chowdhury, director of legal, RSA and corporate affairs of Nestlé Bangladesh, told The Business Standard in a statement on Thursday (18 April).

"We also ensure that our products manufactured in Bangladesh are in full and strict compliance with CODEX standards (a commission established by WHO and FAO) and local specifications (as required) pertaining to the requirements of all nutrients including added sugars," said Debabrata, who is also the company secretary of Nestlé Bangladesh.

"We would like to assure you that our Infant Cereal products are manufactured to ensure the appropriate delivery of nutritional requirements such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, iron and others for early childhood.

He stated that reduction of added sugars is a priority for Nestlé Bangladesh

"Over the past 5 years, we have already reduced added sugars by up to 40%, depending on the variant. We regularly review our portfolio and continue to innovate and reformulate our products to further reduce the level of added sugars, without compromising on nutrition, quality, safety, and taste," he said.

Debabrata added that Nestlé Bangladesh doesn't compromise and will never compromise on the nutritional quality of our products."

What the investigation found

In its report, written in collaboration with the International Baby Food Action Network, Public Eye said data from Euromonitor International, a market-research company, revealed global retail sales of above $1.2bn (£960m) for Cerelac. The highest figures are in low- and middle-income countries, with 40% of sales just in Brazil and India.

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.

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."

WHO guidelines for the European region say no added sugars or sweetening agents should be permitted in any food for children under three. While no guidance has been specifically produced for other regions, researchers say the European document remains equally relevant to other parts of the world.

The UK recommends that children under four avoid food with added sugars because of risks including weight gain and tooth decay. US government guidelines recommend avoiding foods and drinks with added sugars for those younger than two.

Dr Nigel Rollins, a medical officer at the WHO, said the findings represented "a double standard […] that can't be justified".

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. The same product sold in Switzerland has none.

Tests on Cerelac products sold in India showed, on average, more than 2.7g of added sugar for every serving.

In Brazil, where Cerelac is known as Mucilon, two out of eight products were found to have no added sugar but the other six contained nearly 4g for each serving. In Nigeria, one product tested had up to 6.8g .

Meanwhile, tests on products from the Nido brand, which has worldwide retail sales of more than $4.1bn, revealed significant variation in sugar levels.

In the Philippines, products aimed at toddlers contain no added sugar. However, in Indonesia, Nido baby-food products, sold as Dancow, all contained about 2g of added sugar per 100g of product in the form of honey, or 0.8g a serving.

In Mexico, two of the three Nido products available for toddlers contained no added sugar, but the third contained 1.7g per serving. Nido Kinder 1+ products sold in South-Africa, Nigeria and Senegal all contained nearly 1g per serving, the report said.

A Nestlé spokesperson told The Guardian, "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."

She said that within the "highly regulated" category of baby food, Nestlé always complied "with local regulations or international standards, including labelling requirements and thresholds on carbohydrate content that encompasses sugars" and declared total sugars in its products, including those coming from honey.

Variations in recipes depended on factors including regulation and availability of local ingredients, she said.

The company has reduced the total amount of added sugars in its infant cereals portfolio by 11% worldwide over the past decade, she said, and continued to reformulate products to reduce them further.

Sucrose and glucose syrup were being phased out of "growing-up milks" aimed at toddlers worldwide, she added.