Key Update

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has formed a committee to review the use of sugar in infant food products. This decision follows global criticism of Nestlé for selling Cerelac with added sugar in India and other developing countries, while offering sugar-free versions in developed markets. The Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2019, govern infant food in India. These rules ban advertising but permit companies to add sucrose or fructose when required as a carbohydrate source. The sugars cannot exceed 20% of the product’s total carbohydrate content.

What the Committee Will Decide

The FSSAI panel will examine whether India should continue allowing sugar in infant food. If it allows sugar, the panel will also recommend safe limits. The authority has not set a deadline for the committee’s report. In April 2024, the Swiss group Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network accused Nestlé of double standards. They reported that Nestlé sold Cerelac with added sugar in India and other developing markets, but kept it sugar-free in Europe and other wealthy nations.

Nestlé’s Response

Nestlé India rejected the allegations and insisted it follows the same global standards across markets. The company said it has already cut sugar in Cerelac by up to 30% in the past five years. It also launched a new range that contains no refined sugar.

Source: Foodtech News