Nestlé adds sugar to infant milk sold in poorer countries, report finds

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.

chemicalprophet,

Nestle is comically evil, but it’s just not funny.

sirico,
@sirico@feddit.uk avatar

As its always beenStand up from about 20 years ago

jellyhuemul,

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.

TokenBoomer,

Cut it with Ozempic to even it out.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/7b1d77ab-8a50-4fd7-a459-902ba1a19df4.jpeg

tortillaPeanuts,

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,

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,

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.

MonkderDritte, (edited )

deleted_by_author

    •
    whoreticulture,

    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.

    I don’t know what motivates you to simp for Nestle of all companies lmao

    MonkderDritte, (edited )

    And in African region?

    I don’t know what motivates you to simp for Nestle of all companies lmao

    Sometimes there"s baseless ragebait. I never said Nestle is not evil.

    whoreticulture,

    Read the second sentence of what I quoted.

    UltraMagnus0001,

    Ahhh, liver damage from a young age

    Dkarma,

    It goes way beyond that:

    psypost.org/researchers-identify-how-eating-a-wes…

    UltraMagnus0001,

    emmmm, saturated fats and preservatives. Merica!

    SomeGuy69,

    As if we needed any more reasons to hate Nestlé. If they ever find a sugar that’s as addictive as heroin, they’d sell it to the world without telling anyone.

    nutsack,

    they also tell doctors in these poor countries to give the stupid products to new mothers with perfectly normal milk production. they tell them it’s better than natural milk. It’s an American product, and they buy into it because they want their kid to be smart like an American. Nestle is an awful company.

    tacosplease,

    They also used to send their sales reps dressed like doctors

    TheMusicalFruit,

    Nestle is a Swiss company.

    nutsack,

    GET OIT OF MY ROOM, DAD

    aidan,

    It even says that in the first line of the post

    T156,

    The babies going on formula means that the mother’s milk supply dries up when the baby isn’t having any, and that they’re then dependent on it, since it is quite difficult to start producing milk again after.

    BenchpressMuyDebil,

    Smart like an American?

    TropicalDingdong,

    smort

    csm10495,
    @csm10495@sh.itjust.works avatar

    S m r t

    affiliate,

    it’s worth mentioning that very rarely is baby formula better than breast milk. the contents of breast milk change depending on the what the child needs at the moment. it’s really sick that some companies market it as a better option than breast milk

    source

    A_Random_Idiot,

    whats really sick is the fact that nestle gave free formula to women in poor companies, telling them that it was better, just long enough for their breast milk to dry up, before starting to charge them insane prices for it.

    TheFriar,

    Well, capitalism sees a vacuum where there’s no need and artificially creates need.

    Of course there are a percentage of women who can’t breastfeed or babies who won’t, but as you said, they wedged the shitheel of companies into a space with limited need and lied to people, making babies less healthy and less developed. For money.

    But it’s the best system there is, right? “Effective” and “best” don’t mean the same thing. But here we are. Led by greedy fuckers, tricking idiots, buying people up the information chain, to fool literally everyone.

    Dog food is another great example. Did you know that iams/purina/science diet fund a ton of veterinary schools? They basically own the schools and inject their own “lessons” into the nutrition curriculum. Not to mention they turn vets into even higher priced retail food sales by calling it “prescription” food. That food is dog shit. Not dog food. But hey, capitalism “innovated” this type of shit into existence. And, this is just my opinion, but the fact that the food is so shitty I think might be calculated too. Get the dogs to have worse health, bring them back to the vet, more opportunities to sell a super cheaply made food at incredibly inflated prices.

    Fuck capitalism. That’s all I have to say. Fuck it straight to hell.

    Nougat,

    Nestlé, the world’s largest consumer goods company, adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries, ...

    Isn't honey verboten for infants because of the possibility of severe allergic reaction?

    Bgugi,

    Not allergies, botulism

    CptEnder,

    Correct

    Kage520,

    I think that’s incorrect. Not against the honey, but the reasoning. I think it can harbor anaerobic bacteria which the child’s immune system is not ready to handle.

    AccurstDemon,
    @AccurstDemon@sopuli.xyz avatar

    !fucknestle

    cordlesslamp,

    Johnson & Johnson: Finally, our battle will be LEGENDARY!

    maniel,

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

    someguy3,

    Lower purchasing power. Companies do the same for products shipped to eastern Europe.

    Blackmist,

    Sugar tax maybe?

    EdibleFriend,
    @EdibleFriend@lemmy.world avatar

    If there was a profit in dropkicking the babies Nestle would be doing it in a heartbeat

    Bishma,
    @Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

    Obligatory !fucknestle

    someguy3, (edited )

    Economics says anything that turns a profit is morally right and good! (not sarcasm, many people think this.)

    Burgomaestre_paris,

    I’m more worried about fast food companies and coca cola still being legal on developed countries tbh

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • world@lemmy.world
  • ngwrru68w68
  • DreamBathrooms
  • tacticalgear
  • mdbf
  • InstantRegret
  • magazineikmin
  • Youngstown
  • thenastyranch
  • rosin
  • slotface
  • Durango
  • cubers
  • kavyap
  • cisconetworking
  • JUstTest
  • GTA5RPClips
  • modclub
  • tester
  • khanakhh
  • everett
  • provamag3
  • osvaldo12
  • Leos
  • normalnudes
  • ethstaker
  • megavids
  • anitta
  • lostlight
  • All magazines
    •