Nestle India says it will soon launch Cerelac variants with no refined sugar

New Delhi: Packaged food maker Nestle India said on Thursday it is set to launch variants of its Cerelac brand of infant food with no refined sugar, following reports that the Indian version of Cerelac had more sugar than its counterparts in other markets.

Suresh Narayanan, chairman and managing director of Nestle India, said while announcing the company’s September quarter earnings, “We have achieved our ambition of introducing Cerelac variants with no refined sugar. This was initiated three years ago... The expanded Cerelac range in India will now consist of 21 variants, of which 14 variants will have no refined sugar. Of these 14 variants, seven will be available by the end of November 2024 and the rest will be introduced in the following weeks.”

Added-sugar controversy

The announcement follows a report in April by Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), which alleged that Nestle added sugar to its Cerelac products in India and other developing markets, something it didn’t do in the European Union and the UK. Public Eye examined 115 products sold under the Cerelac and Nodi brands in Nestle’s main markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America for the study. It found that Cerelac products sold in India had an average of 2.7 grams of added sugar per serving.

Also read: Govt may amend standards for baby food

After the report was published, the company claimed it had cut the amount of sugar it adds to its infant cereal range in India by up to 30% over the past five years. Later in April, Narayanan said Cerelac was in compliance with standards set by India’s food regulator. “There is no local approach to making a nutritional adequacy strategy. It is done globally… There is no distinction made between a child in Europe or India or any other part of the world," he said.

Nestle has been selling Cerelac products in India for 50 years. The first batch was manufactured at its factory in Moga, Punjab, on 15 September 1975.

Nestle India stock fell 3.44% on Thursday, closing the day at ₹2,377.65.

Also read | Sugar rush alert: Nestle’s infant formula in hot water