Accused of adding too much sugar to certain baby foods, the Nestlé group could be taken to court

The food giant is accused of marketing baby products with more sugar in emerging countries. ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP – Frédéric Cirou

Following the publication of an investigation in which it accuses Nestlé of treating babies differently in emerging countries by marketing products with more added sugars, the Swiss NGO Public Eye contacted the Ministry of Health. ;Economy asks him to take the agri-food giant to court.

The Swiss NGO Public Eye contacted the Ministry of the Economy this Wednesday, June 12, asking it to take Nestlé to court following the investigation it published mid -April to denounce the addition of sugar to baby foods in low-income countries.

In a press release, the NGO said it had filed "a fully motivated request for legal action" from the Ministry of the Economy in Switzerland. She believes that the ministry can rely on a provision of the federal law against unfair competition which allows the Confederation to act when the behavior of a Swiss company has "negative repercussions abroad", underlines the NGO in the press release.

“Nestlé is engaging in unfair behaviour through its misleading and aggressive marketing and double standards on sugar that are affecting hundreds of thousands of people in lower-income countries,”, the NGO said.

In growing-up milks and cereals

In mid-April, Public Eye published an investigation that questioned the presence of added sugar in baby food in low-income countries.

“In Nestlé's key markets of Africa, Asia and Latin America, Nido growing-up milks contain on average nearly 2 grams of added sugar per serving, while Cerelac baby cereals have nearly 4 grams of it,” the NGO said in a statement released Wednesday.

“However, in Switzerland and in the main European markets, such products are sold without added sugar”, reaffirmed the NGO, which warns that an early exposure to sugar can create a harmful preference” which will last a lifetime and increase the risk of diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

Contacted by AFP, the Swiss agri-food giant declined to comment on Public Eye's request to the Ministry of the Economy.

“No double standard” according to Nestlé

A spokesperson for the Swiss group, however, reaffirmed that there “was no double standard", Nestlé “applying the same principles of nutrition, health and well-being everywhere".

Baby formulas for babies from 0 to 12 months do not contain any added sugar, while for growing-up milks from 12 to 36 months, “we have been eliminating sugar for some time", she said added.

“The vast majority of these products worldwide (over 90%) do not contain refined sugar”, specifies the group which intends to eliminate it “100% by the end of this year”.