Sugar Scandal: In Africa, Nestlé is Still Putting Profit Ahead of Babies’ Health

This latest investigation follows in the wake of our revelations in 2024, which highlighted Nestlé’s scandalous double standard. In collaboration with African civil society organisations, Public Eye commissioned an analysis in a reference laboratory of around one hundred Cerelac infant cereals that are sold in 20 countries on the continent. The results show that over 90% of these products for babies from six months onwards contain added sugar – on average, close to six grammes per serving, or the equivalent of one and a half sugar cubes. This is 50% more than the average found during our initial investigation which focused primarily on Asia and Latin America, and twice as much as the level detected in India, the world’s biggest market for Cerelac. The highest value found in Africa was 7.5 grammes per serving in a product sold in Kenya. In Switzerland and in the main European markets, such products are sold without added sugar.

In India, where our revelations caused a wave of indignation, the food giant announced it was launching 14 new Cerelac products without any added sugar. But in Africa and other low- or middle-income countries, Nestlé continues to add sugar to most of its products, in violation of the World Health Organization’s guidelines. Obesity – including Childhood obesity – is advancing at an alarming rate on the African continent, and numerous countries are facing a double burden of malnutrition where delayed growth, underweight and obesity co-exist.