FSSAI collects samples of Nestle Cerelac’s baby cereals from across country amid sugar content row

Days after a global report claimed that Nestle sold baby products with higher sugar content in lesser-developed countries including India, other South Asian, African and Latin American nations, food safety regulator FSSAI said that it is in the process of collecting samples of Nestle’s Cerelac baby cereals pan-India. 

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO G Kamala Vardhana Rao said, “We are collecting samples (of Nestle's Cerelac baby cereals) from across the country. It will take 15-20 days to complete the process." Rao was speaking to news agency PTI on the sidelines of an Assocham event on food fortification. 

The move comes after the consumer affairs ministry and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) expressed concerns about Nestle’s sugar content, taking note of the global report published by Swiss NGO Public Eye.

While the report claims that Nestle baby products sold in less developed nations have more sugar content as compared to European countries, the company maintained that it never compromises on compliance and has reduced sugar content in the past five years in baby food products in India up to 30 per cent, depending on the variants. 

Rao also said that FMCG firms have introduced a variety of millet-based products in the last few years to further expand the options for nutritional foods in the country. FSSAI is a statutory body under the administration of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

LT Foods Global Branded Business CEO Vivek Chandra, Shariqua Yunus of World Food Programme, Fortify Health CEO Tony Senanyake and Farm to Fork Solutions CEO Umesh Kamble also spoke about food fortification.