The Bangladesh food regulator has launched an investigation into the Nestl茅 over traces of sugar and honey in baby milk and cereal products sold in low- and middle- income countries, including Bangladesh, which violates international guidelines.
The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority has begun its probe over the effect of added sugar in baby milk products from the world鈥檚 largest packaged food company.
BFSA chairman Zakaria told 抖阴精品 on Sunday, 鈥榃e started our investigation led by a member of BFSA to scrutinise the effect of added sugar in Nestl茅鈥簊 baby food products.鈥�
He said, 鈥榃e will take action against Nestl茅 if we find through scientific investigation that the sugar is causing harm to children.鈥�
Zakaria also vowed stringent action against the brand if fault is found in its products.
Meanwhile, Nestl茅 Bangladesh PLC company secretary Debabrata Roy Chowdhury said, 鈥榃e ensure that our products manufactured in Bangladesh are in full and strict compliance with local standards (BSTI and others) and international CODEX standards (a commission established by WHO and FAO), pertaining to the requirements of all nutrients, including added sugars.鈥�
He said, 鈥榃e would like to assure that our infant cereal products are manufactured to ensure the appropriate delivery of nutritional requirements for early childhood.鈥�
鈥榃e will never compromise on the nutritional quality of our products. We constantly leverage our extensive global research and development network to enhance the nutritional profile of our products,鈥� he added.
Nestl茅, a Swiss multinational food and drink processing company, is facing criticism after Public Eye, a Swiss NGO, revealed a report on Wednesday claiming that Nestl茅 uses harmful added sugar in baby foods.
The report said that traces of sugar and honey have been found in baby milk and cereal products Nestl茅 sells in poorer countries, but the same was not the case in Europe, where there was no added sugar.
In Bangladesh, the added sugar per serving [in grammes] of Cerelac was found to be 3.3g. The added sugar content is declared on the packaging, but the associated risks are glossed over, according to the report.聽
The case was similar for Nido, another popular brand from Nestl茅. In India and Pakistan, the added sugar was 2.7g, although no declaration was found on the packaging tested for the latter.聽
The highest of 6.8g was found in Nigeria, followed by Senegal and Vietnam.
In Nestl茅鈥檚 main European markets, including the UK, there is no added sugar in formulas for young children. While some cereals aimed at older toddlers contain added sugar, there is none in products targeted at babies between six months and one year.
Public Eye sent samples of Nestl茅鈥簊 baby food products sold in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to a Belgian laboratory for testing.聽
The tests revealed the presence of added sugar in the form of sucrose or honey in samples of Nido, a follow-up milk formula brand intended for use for infants aged one and above, and Cerelac, a cereal aimed at children aged between six months and two years.
Nigel Rollins, a scientist at the World Health Organisation, said that while speaking to the Public Eye that there is a double standard here that cannot be justified.
He said that Nestl茅 not adding sugar to the products in Switzerland but doing so in lower-resource settings is 鈥榩roblematic both from a public health and ethical perspective.鈥�