Nestlé India on Thursday said that its products manufactured in India are in “full compliance” with international standards as well as local specifications with regard to the requirements of all nutrients including added sugars.
The Indian subsidiary of the Swiss packaged food unit’s statement comes in reaction to a report by Swiss investigative organisation, Public Eye, which has alleged that Nestle’s baby food products sold under brands Cerelac and Nido, in low-and-middle income countries, including India, contain high levels of “added sugar”. It added that in developed markets like Germany, the U.K. and Switzerland, such products do not have any “added sugar”.
“We would like to assure you that our Infant Cereal products are manufactured to ensure the appropriate delivery of nutritional requirements such as Protein, Carbohydrates, Vitamins, Minerals, Iron, etc., for early childhood. We never compromise and 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,” Nestle India said in a fresh statement.
The packaged food major said that “compliance is an essential characteristic of Nestlé India and “we will never compromise on that.”
“We also ensure that our products manufactured in India are in full and strict compliance with CODEX standards (a commission established by WHO and FAO) and local specifications (as required) pertaining to the requirements of all nutrients including added sugars,” it added.
The company reiterated that over the past 5 years, it has already reduced added sugars by up to 30 per cent depending on the variant of its infant cereals portfolio.
“We regularly review our portfolio and continue to innovate and reformulate our products to further reduce the level of added sugars, without compromising on nutrition, quality, safety, and taste,” the company added.