Nestlé Sugar coating the truth about sugar content in baby food and formula

New research shows that Food Giant Nestle is intentionally exposing young children from developing countries like South Africa to foods containing high levels of sugar. The researchers found that biscuit flavoured baby cereal South Africa contains 6 grams of sugar while the same product sold in Switzerland, where Nestlé is headquartered, is available with no added sugar. 

Alarmingly the report noted that “Cerelac wheat-based cereals for six-month-old babies sold by Nestlé in Germany and the UK has no added sugar, while the same product contains over 5 grams per serving in Ethiopia and 6 grams in Thailand.” The same cereal sold in South Africa contained 4 grams of sugar per serving.

It is a well known fact that the overconsumption of sugar is linked to obesity. South Africa is facing a growing crisis of childhood obesity. 1 in 8 children under the age of 5 are obese. This alarming statistic points to a grim future for these children, who are likely to grow into a cohort of adults where every second person is obese. Being overweight or obese is a well-known driver of diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

With low levels of nutrition literacy, it is difficult for ordinary people to make sense of the current nutrition labels on the back of food products. Additionally, parents and caregivers who want to make the best choices for their children are often lured in by false claims of healthfulness and enrichment made by food producers.

The Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) reiterates its call for the ratification of front-of-pack warning label (FOPWL) regulations on foods containing high levels of salt, sugar and saturated fat to protect caregivers from predatory food organisations like Nestlé. In 2023, the the National Department of Health (NdoH) published R3337, putting forward a draft regulation to introduce front-of-pack labelling in South Africa. These labels are intended to make it easier for everyone to identify these foods and make better food choices for themselves and their families.

Additionally, the regulation makes provision for marketing restrictions to be placed on foods bearing a warning label. This will protect consumers from unfounded health claims made by food producers.

“HEALA continues to call for South African government to strengthen their regulation and policy framework to safe guards the health of the children which is under the risk to major unhealthy food producers such as Nestle. We calling for government to review and tightening the Marketing Restriction to Children Regulation, urgently promulgate regulation on unhealthy food through FOWPL, policies that make schools a healthy food zones, protect academia from conflict of interests by food industry,” says Nzama Mbalati, HEALA, acting interim CEO.

Additional sugar was not only found in baby cereals, added sugar was also detected in Nido powdered milk marketed to children from the age on one.

Nestlé’s has a history of intentionally violating regulations put in place to protect the young. South Africa has regulations in place that prevent companies from aggressively promoting consumption of ultra-processed food, including products with a high sugar content. However, in 2021 Nestlé was caught flouting R991 regulations meant to safeguard the nutrition and health of South African children by organising a webinar with a potential giveaway to parents who attended. The department’s regulations are meant to safeguard the nutrition and health of South African children.

“Unethical behaviour in sales and marketing is something Nestlé is familiar with. Being the world’s largest food and beverage corporation, Nestlé has made a reputable name and made excessive profits for themselves at the expense of children and adults health globally,” Mbalati says.

While positioning itself as the solution to serious, life threatening issues like hidden hunger , Nestle pushes products with added sugars to food insecure children in developing countries.

HEALA is urging the government to do everything in its power to protect South Africa’s most vulnerable. The consequences of allowing big food companies to run rampant in our country are terrifying and should be a concern for us all. 

END

About HEALA: 

HEALA is a coalition of civil society organisations that advocates for equitable access to affordable and nutritious food for all in South Africa.

For interview requests please contact:

Zukiswa Zimela, Communications Manager HEALA

Zukiswa[at]heala.org |

WEBINAR: My Health, My Right: The Importance of regulating the food environment to eliminate over and under nutrition

HEALA cordially invites you to our upcoming webinar scheduled for April 24 at 15.30 SAST. The webinar titled “My Health, My Right: The Importance of regulating the food environment to eliminate over and under nutrition” is aimed at highlighting the grim reality of the food environment in South Africa. Currently, the country is battling a double burden of over and under-nutrition.

Experts warn that Ultra-Processed Food consumption may be associated with a higher risk of obesity, overweight, and stunting in low and middle-income countries. New research by Dr. Tamryn Frank shows that low-income South African adults consume, on average, 40% of their calories from ultra-processed products. We live in a society where eight million children go hungry every day. Dr. Edzani Mphaphuli will discuss the dangers of stunting and malnutrition for the wellbeing of children throughout their lives.

HEALA’s Programmes Manager, Petronell Kruger, will speak about the need for evidence-based regulations to fix South Africa’s broken food system and guarantee everyone equitable access to affordable, nutritious food.

RSVP HERE

How taxation and subsidies can work together to ensure that South Africans have healthier diets

The theme for this year is My Health, My Right. The theme according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) “was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, [and] good nutrition”.

South Africa is facing an alarming scourge of under-and over nutrition. Over 1 in 4 children in the country are stunted, while 1 in 8 children under the age of 5 are obese and overweight. On the other hand, almost 70 percent of adult women in the country have overweight and obesity.

“While eight million children go hungry every day and a quarter of all children are stunted, we also see that one in eight children is overweight. According to statistics, these children will grow into a cohort of adults where every second person is obese,” explains Petronell Kruger, Programmes Manager at the Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA)

Being overweight or obese is a well-known driver of diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

What can be done?

Nutrition is one of the most important contributors to good health, HEALA believes that urgent interventions by government need to be put in place to urgently address these issues. Research shows that subsidising healthy food, which can be more expensive than unhealthy, energy dense alternatives, has been shown to decrease the consumption of unhealthy food and lead to healthier life outcomes for all.

Where will the money come from?

Experts suggest that taxes from SSB such as South Africa’s Health Promotion Levy (HPL) can be used to fund various health promotion intervention such as children’s diet and nutrition programmes and subsidising of healthy food.

From its inception on 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2021, the HPL has generated R7.9 billion in cumulative revenue from domestically produced and imported products. Specifically, collections in 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 were R3.2 billion, R2.5 billion and R2.1 billion respectively. An increase in the HPL to the recommended 20% could almost double the revenue collected by Treasury.

Why do we need to do this?

We need to end food poverty and we need policies to help South Africans eat less unhealthy food. Government must take steps to end hunger and poor nutrition.

OP-ED: Government must take steps to end hunger in SA

Last month we commemorated 25 years of the SA constitution – a document that was supposed to usher in a generation of South Africans living in dignity, equality and freedom.

However, we see a dangerous dualism in SA: while eight million children go hungry every day and a quarter of all children are stunted, we also see that one in eight children is overweight.

According to statistics, these children will grow into a cohort of adults where every second person is obese. Being overweight or obese is a well-known driver of diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

More than half of South Africans are dying of these diseases each year, which Stats SA has termed a “looming health crisis”. At first glance, the idea of a society where half of the population is overweight, while severe hunger persists seems dystopian, akin to the Hunger Games, where the rich gorge themselves and the poor fight to survive.

READ MORE: This World Obesity Day We Urgently Need To Confront The Scourge Of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) In South Africa.

But the reality is that in individual households, both co-exist. Low income households are more likely to purchase energy dense, nutritionally poor food, which contributes to weight gain.

Strong evidence has emerged that food companies that sell low nutrition products target poorer families through marketing and retail outlet placement – the “double burden of malnutrition”.

Human rights are the idea that human beings are entitled to certain protections. After World War 2, the first modern international instrument setting out these rights was created – the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This article was published on SowetanLive on the 4th of April 2024. Click HERE to read the full oped.