Nestlé India is planning to launch no refined sugar variants of its cereal-based complementary food, Cerelac, by the end of November 2024.
This decision comes in response to significant criticism the company faced earlier this year after a report from the Swiss agency Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) accused Nestlé of adding sugar to baby products like infant milk in lower-income regions such as South Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while not doing so in major markets like Europe and the UK.
In its statement regarding the July-September quarter results, Nestlé India announced that the expanded Cerelac range will now include 21 variants, with 14 of those featuring no refined sugar.
Of these 14 variants, seven will be available by the end of November 2024, while the remaining variants will be rolled out in the following weeks.
“This initiative began three years ago and has led to the launch of new Cerelac variants with no refined sugar this year,” stated Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director of Nestlé India.
During the controversy in April, Nestlé India clarified that the sugar added to Cerelac was below the permissible levels set by the FSSAI and that it complied with local food regulations. The company also noted that it had reduced added sugars by 30% over the past five years.
Narayanan further mentioned that Cerelac has reached its 50th anniversary in India, with the first batch produced at its flagship factory in Moga, Punjab, on September 15, 1975.
