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Rabat – The National Federation of Consumer Associations (FNAC) has expressed concerns about Nestle’s infant food marketed in Morocco due to an alleged high level of added sugar.
FNAC cites an investigation conducted by the Swiss NGO Public Eye, collecting Cerelac products marketed in 20 countries in Africa.
According to the results, over 90% of the products contain nearly six grams of added sugar per serving. The number is equivalent to about one and a half sugar cubes, the statement quoted by Moroccan state-owned news outlet SNRTNews said.
The products are notably intended for babies from six months old.
The Public Eye’s official website said, “The food giant is doing everything it can to present itself as the world leader in infant nutrition, meticulously targeting each stage in a child’s first years of life.”
Nestle also reportedly controls 20% of the baby-food market, valued at nearly $70 billion, the Public Eye said.
The report stated that the food is highly promoted in low and middle-income countries as healthy and key to supporting young children’s development.
It accused Nestle’s products of containing high levels of added sugar, highlighting that, in Switzerland, however, such products are sold with no added sugar.
For the Public Eye, this shows a double-standard approach from the company, and hypocrisy in addition to ” deceptive marketing strategies deployed by the Swiss food giant.”
FNAC cited the Cerelac products sold in Morocco, suggesting that they reportedly contain added sugar– an average of 5.8 grams per serving.
Read Also: Nestle Denies Sugar Addition Despite Lab Findings in Nigerian Infant Products
Fruit-based Cerelac products have the highest level of added sugar, with FNAC alerting that infant Cerelac products marketed by the company in other countries do not contain added sugar.
The federation also criticized the company for not indicating the quantity of added sugar in the nutritional information on its packaging, urging the company to remove added sugar from all its infant foods marketed in the country.
Nestle has been facing several similar concerns.
In March, Morocco’s Food Safety Authorities announced the withdrawal and destruction of new batches of infant formula linked to an international alert over the potential presence of cereulide, which could cause vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration in infants.
The same month, Nestle reassured parents that its infant formula products are safe and unrelated to a sweeping international recall triggered by the toxin.
In 2024, Nestle denied adding sugar to infant food products in low and middle-income countries despite lab findings.
The statement in response to the Public Eye’s investigation, with the company reaffirming its commitment to stringent regulatory standards and nutritional guidelines.
