Nestlé infant formula containing excess sugar registered in Nigeria – NAFDAC
Amid continued criticism over suspected added sugar in infant milk sold by Nestlé, the US Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says Nido's follow-up milk is not registered and is not distributed in the country. announced. Nigeria.
Activists from Swiss investigative agency Public Eye say Nestlé sent samples of the Swiss multinational's baby food products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America to a Belgian laboratory for testing. The company was accused of adding sugar to milk used for milk production.
According to Public Eye, the results and an inspection of the product packaging revealed that samples of Nido, a follow-up milk brand for infants over one year old, and Cerelac, a dairy product, had added sugar in the form of sucrose and honey. It turned out that there was. Cereal intended for children aged 6 months to 2 years.
The report noted that Nidokinder 1+ products sold in South Africa, Nigeria and Senegal all contain nearly 1g per serving.
Laurent Gaberel, agriculture and nutrition expert at Public Eye, said Nestlé should end these dangerous double standards and ensure added sugar is added to all products for children under three in every region of the world. argued that it should be stopped. ”
In a statement, NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, said NAFDAC takes due regulatory precautions in registering infant and toddler foods for distribution and use in Nigeria.
He said that the range of Nestlé Cerelac infant cereals distributed in Nigeria have been formally approved by NAFDAC in accordance with the Nigerian Industrial Standard for Infant and Toddler Foods – Processed Cereal-Based Foods (NIS 256:2010) and the Codex Standard for Processed Cereals. I explained that it was registered. (CXS 74-1981 Adopted in 1981, Revised in 2006, Revised in 2017, 2019, and 2023), as well as applicable health regulations regarding compliance with safety, quality, and labeling requirements. We also comply with NAFDAC regulations.
Mr. Adeyeye said the agency, with the support of the Directorate General of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN), organized a meeting with members and stakeholders of the Association of Infant Food Manufacturers of Nigeria (AIFMN) on March 22, 2024. He noted that the event was held to further raise awareness of its importance and specialness. A feeding area for infants and young children.
Source: guardian.ng