Have reduced added sugar in baby food by 30% in five years, says Nestle India

Studies suggest that eating foods that are high in sugar throughout childhood can lead to preventable diseases, such as heart disease, obesity, and high blood pressure.

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26 Aug, 2025 12:21

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Nestlé India has said that it has reduced added sugar content by 30 percent in its infant cereals portfolio (cereal-based food which is consumed by infants along with milk) over the last five years.

Responding to a query from Moneycontrol over Nestle's sugar content in infant formula sold across India, Asia, and Africa, a company spokesperson said, "We regularly evaluate our portfolio and consistently innovate and reformulate our products to further diminish the level of added sugars while maintaining quality, safety, and flavor.”  Presently, Nestlé’s products in India display 7 grams of sugar per 100 grams, as indicated by the nutritional label.

In a recent report, Public Eye, a Switzerland based advocacy organization accused Nestle of incorporating sucrose or honey into samples of Nido, a milk formula for infants aged one and above, and Cerelac, a widely popular cereal for children aged between six months and two years. This revelation follows testing conducted by a Belgian laboratory on Nestle's baby food products distributed in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Studies suggest that eating foods that are high in sugar throughout childhood can lead to preventable diseases, such as heart disease, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Tests on Cerelac products available in India showed an average of over 2.7g of added sugar per serving.

In India Cerelac is the highest selling cereal-based product meant for infants. In 2022, Cerelac sales of Nestle India surpassed $250 million. Cerelac has a wordwide sales of $1 billion.

Similarly, tests on Nido brand products, with global retail sales exceeding $1 billion, exhibited considerable variation in sugar levels across countries.

Although Nestle has not responded to inquiries from Public Eye, the Nestle spokesperson said that the company had globally reduced the overall quantity of added sugars in its infant cereals range by 11 percent over the past decade. Furthermore, they underscored ongoing efforts to reformulate products with the goal of further reducing sugar content.

At 12:47 pm on Thursday, Nestle India shares were trading at Rs 2458.70, down 3.43 percent. In global markets Nestle shares closed at 93.36 CHF (Swiss currency). (Currently the Swiss market is closed and not trading).