Swiss food firm’s infant formula and cereal sold in global south ignore WHO anti-obesity guidelines for Europe, says Public Eye

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.

    • @[email protected]English
      53•7 months ago

      I felt so betrayed the other day when I looked at my San Pellegrino and saw it was a Nestlé company.

      • @[email protected]English
        23•7 months ago

        As of now, the only product I have to buy to support this atrocious company is Fancy Feast because it’s the only food my picky senior cat will eat.

        • @[email protected]English
          8•7 months ago

          Ugh their firm grip on the pet food market endlessly pisses me off. I paid for a fancy B Corp certified cat food brand for years before realising it had been bought out by Nestlé

        • @[email protected]English
          6•7 months ago

          You’re feeding your cat the equivalent of potato chips. No shit it’s all they want to eat lol

          Edit: I can’t read. See below

          • @[email protected]English
            2•7 months ago

            At least they’re hydrating potato chips. Kidney failure is a big problem for cats, sticking to an all-wet diet is already better than average.

            • @[email protected]English
              1•7 months ago

              Oh. I genuinely misread OP’s post as Friskies, not Fancy Feast. I agree any wet food is miles better than dry food. Apologies @[email protected]

              I will take this opportunity to plug https://catfooddb.com to find quality wet foods because not all are created equally. Many have more fat than protein, which is not normal in the diet of a cat in the wild.

              My personal recommendation is Tiki Cat

        • @[email protected]English
          9•7 months ago

          Perrier bought San Pelegrino, then Nestle bought Perrier. Perrier Group of America owned several water brands in the ‘90s and early ‘00s.

    • 👍Maximum Derek👍English
      34•7 months ago

      It looks hard, in practice it is not. I haven’t knowingly purchased a Nestle product in over decade. Mistakes happen now and again, but when they do I add that brand to my mental list and move on.

      Where it gets confusing is international brand ownership differences. For example, Cheerios is still made and distributed by General Mills in North America, but by Nestle in most of the rest of the world.