Indian Parents Turn Wary Of Nestle's Cerelac Baby Cereals Amid Sugar Row
Parents are caught in a bind as the baby food was said to contain high amounts of sugar.
Kirti Srivastava isn’t sure if she should continue feeding her 10-month-old baby boy food made by Nestle India Ltd., after it came to light that the company’s products sold in the country were high on sugar.
The Noida-based dentist is conflicted. Her paediatrician says packaged baby food can fulfill her toddler’s nutritional needs. "I feed my child with Nestle Cerelac, par agar aisa hai to koi bhi apne bachche ko kyun hi baahar ka Cerelac dega (if such is the case, then why will anyone feed their child with readymade baby food),” she told NDTV Profit. “Sugar isn’t healthy for kids, right?”
Her fears aren’t unfounded. A week ago, Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, and International Baby Food Action Network published a report showing that Nestle’s Cerelac—a milk cereal-based complementary food for infants—contains 3 grammes of added sugar per serving on average in India. The report also claimed that it isn’t the case in Western markets such as US and Europe.
This raises concerns about compliance with health standards. World Health Organisation guidelines prohibit added sugar in baby food. Artificial sugar can also lead to obesity, Type-2 diabetes, tooth decay, and even cardiovascular diseases in children.
As a result, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, said it will collect Cerelac samples for investigation. "We're collecting samples (of Nestle's Cerelac baby cereals) from across the country. It will take 15-20 days to complete the process," FSSAI CEO G Kamala Vardhana Rao was quoted as saying by PTI.
Nestle India had not responded to queries sent by NDTV Profit at the time of publishing.
The controversy has also prompted Zainab Sheikh, a Mumbai-based homemaker and mother, to stop buying Cerelac for her child. “I have always preferred Cerelac for my child,” she said. “But after hearing the news, I will not buy packaged Cerelac at all.”
Profit of the maker of Kit Kat chocolates to Maggi instant noodles rose 27% in the three months through March to Rs 934 crore.
The manager of a D-Mart supermarket in Mumbai’s Andheri said the controversy hasn’t taken a hit on sales of Cerelac, even as he refused to share specific numbers. Several other stores that NDTV Profit spoke with in Andheri, Mumbai, also said the sales of Cerelac have not seen a significant impact.
Yet, Mumbai-based Sania Ansari is keen on spreading awareness about this product within her family. “I don't have a child, but there are children in my family,” she said. “After the Nestle news, we’ve had discussions about whether we should provide Nestle food to my young nephew. The news is concerning.”
Others are resorting to age-old recipes.
Sonakshi Saxena, mother of a 10-month-old girl, said she has always resorted to home-cooked baby food for her child. “I just dry and roast some pulses and rice, then blend it into a fine powder. I store this powder and use it whenever I have to feed my daughter.”
"All these baby food products contain some amount of added sugar, and also preservatives that can be harmful for the child, so it’s better to give homemade food,” Saxena said.
Srivastava also questioned the functioning of the food regulator. “These products are being sold for so long. Who will see to this, somebody will have to take care, right?” she asked. This comes even as leading Indian spice mix companies, including Everest and MDH, faced bans in Hong Kong and Singapore over high levels of pesticide content in them.
Previous Controversies
This isn’t the first time Nestle India’s products have been in the news. In 2015, regulators found its Maggi instant noodles to contain lead and monosodium glutamate above permissible limits. The company was ordered to pull out the product from across India and destroy them. The noodles found their way back to shelves of stores after many months, following extensive scrutiny and testing.
Yet, a few others continue to repose their faith in Nestle India’s products.
“Nestle is an old and a good brand, and this is not the first time such news has come up. Maggi was also under the radar years ago, but nothing happened,” Ayushi Kakkar, a Bareilly-based school teacher and mother of a four-month-old girl, said. “So, I don't see a problem in using Nestle products, such as Nan Pro.”