Sugar in baby food: why Nestlé needs to be held to account in Africa

Nestlé has been criticised for adding sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries. The Swiss food giant controls 20% of the baby-food market, valued at nearly US$70 billion. Nadine Dreyer asked public health academic Susan Goldstein why extra sugar is particularly bad for babies and how multinationals targeting low-income countries with sweeter products get away with it.

Why has Nestlé been criticised?

• In South Africa, Nestlé promotes its wheat cereal Cerelac as a source of 12 essential vitamins and minerals under the theme “little bodies need big support”.
• Yet all Cerelac products sold in this country contain high levels of added sugar.
• The World Health Organization has called for a ban on added sugar in products for babies and young children under three years of age.

Why is extra sugar particularly unhealthy for babies?

• Children shouldn’t eat any added sugar before they turn two.
• Studies show that adding sugar to any food for babies or small children predisposes them to having a sweet tooth.
• These extra sugars, fats and salt are harmful to our health throughout our lifetime, but especially to babies as they are still building their bodies.

How do multinationals influence health policies?

• Companies commonly influence public health through lobbying and party donations.
• Research into how South African food companies, particularly large transnationals, go about shaping public health policy in their favour found 107 examples of food industry practices designed to influence public health policy.

What happens in high-income countries?

• One example is the EU directive on processed cereal-based foods and baby foods for infants and young children.
• Another is the Swiss Nutrition Policy, which sets out clear guidelines on healthy eating and advertising aimed at children.

What should governments in developing countries be doing?

• Taxing baby foods as we do sugary beverages is another way of discouraging these harmful additions.
• We need to make sure that consumers are aware of what’s in their food by having large front-of-package warning labels.

Susan Goldstein does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.