MULTI-NATIONAL food company Nestle has denied adding sugars to milk, cereal, and other infant products sold to some low and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, despite laboratory results to the contrary.
This was contained in a statement released on Thursday, April 18, following an investigation by Swiss investigative organisation Public Eye in collaboration with International Baby Food Action Network.
“Baby food and infant formula are highly regulated categories. We apply the same nutrition, health, and wellness principles everywhere in the world which are aligned with both international and local guidelines and regulations. This includes compliance with labeling requirements and thresholds on carbohydrate content that encompasses sugars.
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“Regarding cereals, there may be slight variations in recipes around the world. In Europe, Nestle’s range of cereals comes with and without added sugars. Like everywhere in the world, in Nigeria, we do not add sugars (sucrose and glucose) to infant formulas for children aged 0-12 months. In Nigeria, our growing-up milks have no added sugars. Our milks and cereals for young children are fortified with vitamins and minerals such as iron to help tackle malnutrition,” the statement read.
Laboratory tests conducted on Nestle’s baby food sold in Asia, Africa, and Latin America during the investigations revealed added sugar in products like Cerelac and Nido.
However, baby food sold for children between one and three years in Europe had no added sugars, according to the results of the tests which were conducted in a Belgian lab.
“In Nigeria, one product tested had up to 6.8g, but 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 report partly read.
This is contrary to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines against adding sugar to foods for babies.
The WHO warned that high levels of sugar in baby foods might result in chronic diseases, obesity and addiction to such additives.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), responsible for the regulation of such products, also denied being aware of added sugar in the products being imported for children’s consumption on Thursday.
This is not the first time Nestle has been indicted in such activities in Nigeria.
In 2019, The ICIR reported that Nestle’s water factory in Manderegi, a community within Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was contaminating the people’s water source, leading to a lack of potable water for the residents and environmental degaradation.
The company also failed to keep its promise of providing access to water, which it made to the residents upon commissioning the factory. This promise was later redeemed following The ICIR’s report.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.