Nestle launches Cerelac with no added sugar in Indian market
After months of facing backlash over the sugar content of its baby food in developing countries including India, Nestle has launched Cerelac with no added sugar.
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Six months after the backlash and legal action, Nestle has launched Cerelac variants with no refined sugar in the Indian market.
The company said that seven of the 14 sugar-free versions will be available in Indian stores by the end of November, with the remaining seven set to be introduced in the following weeks.
The launch follows one of the biggest controversies the company faced over sugar content in its baby food, Cerelac.
In April, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) asked food regulator FSSAI to investigate the allegations against Nestle of adding higher quantities of sugar to baby products in India as compared to other countries.
Earlier, tests on Cerelac products available in India showed an average of over 2.7g of added sugar per serving.
Reports from Swiss investigative group Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) claimed that Cerelac wheat-based cereals, made for six month old infants that are sold by Nestle in Germany, France and the UK, do not contain any additional sugar.
On the other hand, the same product sold in Ethiopia contains more than 5g per serving and in Thailand, contains 6 grams per serving.
In India, Cerelac is one of the highest-selling cereal-based products meant for infants.
Chairman and MD, Suresh Narayanan recently confirmed that Nestle India has been testing a zero-sugar variant for infant food.
On October 17, Nestle announced the launch of Cerelac variants with zero refined sugar for the Indian market.
“We have achieved our ambition of introducing ‘Cerelac’ variants with no refined sugar. This was initiated three years ago and has culminated this year with the introduction of new Cerelac variants with no refined sugar," the company said.
Nestlé’s cereal-based complementary food has entered its 50th year in India.
In the filings, the company claimed that over the last five years, added sugar has been reduced in the product by up to 30%.
