Fast-moving consumer Goods (FMCG) giant Nestlé has come under public scrutiny over allegedly adding sugar to infant foods sold in the African marketplace, while not adding any sugar in the ones sold in Switzerland, where the company is headquartered.
The same products come with zero added sugar in Germany, and the UK, among other leading countries.
The report, which was carried out by Public Eye, a Swiss-based NGO, and supported in Nigeria by the Corporate Accountability and Development Foundation (CADEF), shows that the majority of Nestlé Cerelac products sold in African markets contain added sugar.
The report stated that Nigeria is the leading African market for the Company as Nestlé earns $55 million in annual sales from Nigeria, and Nestle Cerelac is the most popular baby cereal brand in the country.
From the research findings, out of the eight different Cerelac baby cereals on sale in Nigeria, five of the products come with added sugar; the remaining three Cerelac products with no added sugar were imported products from Europe and not intended by Nestlé for the Nigerian market.
The laboratory analysis found an average of five grams of added sugar per serving, more than a sugar cube. The highest amount 6.1 grams of added sugar per serving was found in the Cerelac maize variant, intended for babies from six months onwards.
The amount of sugar added by Nestlé to its Cerelac products sold in Nigeria is under the thresholds set by the national legislation, which is based on the standard set by CODEX, that allows up to 20% sugar in infant cereals.
Reacting to the findings of the research, Professor Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor, the executive director of CADEF, in a media parley held at the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, condemned the deliberate act, saying the African babies are being fed with sugary baby foods which Europe would never accept.
“This is not a mistake; this is intentional. Nestlé knows that added sugar is unnecessary for babies, and they formulate sugar-free products for Europe. So why are African babies given one to two cubes of sugar per serving? This is a dangerous double standard,” Prof. Ndukwe-Okafor stated.
Speaking further, she enumerated the various health effects of early exposure of African babies to sugary products, as she says that it promotes obesity, dental decay, diabetes, and lifelong exposure to sweetened foods.
“Consumers are clear. We want zero added sugar in baby foods. There is absolutely no justification for added sugar when natural sugars already exist in the ingredients,” she further added.
Also speaking at the event, Laurent Gaberell, Public Eye’s Food System researcher, said that Lab research has exposed hidden sugar levels as they are not declared on the products’ labels, adding that,
“What is alarming is that Nestlé does not declare added sugar on labels. Consumers cannot know. Only laboratory testing reveals the truth.”
He further called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), among other regulators, to strive for food systems reforms in Nigeria, stating that:
“The Codex standards used worldwide, including in Nigeria, allow up to 30% added sugar in infant cereals. That is outdated and not supported by scientific evidence. It must be revised urgently.”
Responding to inquiries raised at the event, Dr. Ifeoma Okafor of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said that compliance is determined by the CODEX standard and that Nigeria doesn’t accept lower nutritional infant products.
“Compliance is determined by CODEX. Differences in formulation across regions do not automatically mean violation. Nigeria does not accept lower nutritional quality because we are a developing country,” she revealed
Dr. Okafor further added that NAFDAC carries out laboratory analysis tests before registering products and that they are continuously ensuring quality control, compliance, and monitoring.
Udo Dan-Ufomadu, a regulatory officer at NAFDAC, hinted that from January 2026, the Agency will enforce mandatory labeling of added sugars on all pre-packaged foods and products in order to ensure quality adherence by the various food brands.
“The regulation was gazetted in 2022, and enforcement begins in January. Companies are aware. We will also introduce front-of-pack labeling so consumers can easily identify high sugar, salt, and fat,” Dan-Ufomadu stated.
Meanwhile, Nestlé Nigeria has refuted the research findings and said that the infant products sold in Nigeria do not contain higher levels of sugar, thereby branding the report as misleading and and scientifically inaccurate.
“We disagree with the Public Eye report. Our infant cereal products sold in Africa do not contain higher levels of added sugars. It is misleading and scientifically inaccurate to refer to the sugars coming from cereals and naturally present in fruits as refined sugars added to the products,” .
