Nestle has been accused of violating global nutrition guidelines by selling baby cereals loaded with high percentage of sugar in African markets, health advocates have claimed.
Public Eye, a Swedish NGO leveled the accusations in a report it published after reviewing product formulations across multiple countries. The report is titled, Africa’s baby food sugar scandal.’
The report, which was released on Tuesday, lists the findings of tests carried out on several Сerelac products. Working with civil-society organizations in Africa, the group purchased nearly 100 items from 20 countries and sent them for analysis to the French laboratory Inovalys.
According to the organization, more than 90% of the samples contained added sugar in high quantities. By contrast, Public Eye noted that versions of Сerelac sold in Switzerland, Germany, and the UK list no added sugars at all.
The findings were published a day after an open letter from the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) and 19 other civil-society organizations from 13 African nations. They warned Nestle CEO Philipp Navratil that “all babies have an equal right to healthy nutrition – regardless of their nationality or skin colour.”
In March, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised that infants and young children should not be given added sugars, saying complementary foods must be “nutrient-dense and not contain additional calories from added sugars.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has likewise urged countries to reduce sugar consumption, warning that excessive intake can contribute to unhealthy weight gain and raise disease risks.
The Swiss food giant Nestle rejected the allegations, claiming it does not operate with double standards.
The firm argued that its infant-cereal products sold in Africa do not contain “high levels of added sugars” and are developed to meet children’s nutritional needs, “fortified to combat malnutrition.”
Nestle added that no-added-sugar variants are already available in 97% of its markets, and that it plans to ensure 100% availability by the end of 2025.
Nestlé also states that it fully complies with national legislations and that its internal guidelines set a threshold for added sugars that is well below that stipulated by the international standard of the UN Codex Alimentarius Commission.
The company added that it declares sugar content transparently in accordance with local regulatory requirements. “We do not mislead consumers.”
Public Eye has raised the same concerns before. Last April, it reported that Nestle added sugar to baby food in several low-income countries, including India, while selling sugar-free versions in Europe.
In an open letter, 20 civil society organisations in Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia and Zimbabwe are calling on the food giant to immediately stop adding sugar to its baby foods.
“All babies have an equal right to healthy nutrition – regardless of their nationality or skin colour. All babies are equal. So do the right thing. The world is watching”, they warn.
In 2024, a petition signed by 105,000 people was delivered to the company. But as of today, Nestlé is turning a deaf ear to this appeal, the NGO said.
