The FSSAI is tasked by the Central Consumer Protection Authority to look into Nestle’s alleged sugar addition to infant goods

The Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) has been tasked by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to investigate the allegation made by Public Eye and International Infant Food Action Network, a Swiss non-governmental organization, that Nestle was marketing infant food with increased sugar content in developing nations such as India.

Consumer Affairs secretary and head of the CCPA, Nidhi Khare, said, “We have written to the FSSAI to take cognizance of the report on Nestle’s baby product.”

The report has also been noted by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which has sent a notification to FSSAI.

Nestle supplied infant goods with more sugar in less developed South Asian countries, such as India, Africa, and Latin America, than in European markets, according to research conducted by a Swiss non-governmental organization.

On Thursday, Nestle India said that it never compromises on compliance and that, during the last five years, it has decreased the amount of added sugar in infant food products in India by more than 30%, depending on the variety.

For Nestle India, cutting down on added sugars is a top focus. We have already lowered added sugars by up to 30% during the last five years, depending on the variety, a firm representative had said.

The representative emphasized that compliance is a crucial aspect of Nestle India and said, “We will never compromise on that.” We also make sure that our goods, which are made in India, strictly adhere to local specifications (where necessary) and CODEX standards, which are set by the WHO and FAO and include all nutritional needs, including added sugars.

The study states that although Nestle’s wheat-based product Cerelac for six-month-old newborns is offered without added sugar in the UK and Germany, an average of 2.7 grams of added sugar were found in 15 Cerelac products that were examined from India.

According to the research, the sugar content was disclosed on the package in India.

In Thailand, the product had the highest sugar level at 6 grams. According to the research, sugar content in five out of the eight samples tested in the Philippines was found to be 7.3 grams, and the information was not even mentioned on the container.