Public Eye: Nestlé acts with double standards when it comes to the sugar content in certain products. Nestlé adds massive amounts of sugar to its baby food products - but only in certain developing and emerging countries.
The Swiss called on Nestlé to end 'the double standards.' Those willing can currently submit a letter of complaint to Nestlé on the Public Eye website. The company did not dispute the results of the laboratory analyses. However, the situation was different for various cereal products for babies. Those from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and Thailand, on the other hand, did - and there was between 1.6 grams and 6.0 grams of sugar per serving. In some cases, the proportion was already visible on the packaging; in other cases, the laboratory had to provide information. The case is reminiscent of the infamous "Nestlé kills babies' court case' of 50 years ago, when Nestlé was accused of aggressive marketing tactics. Is history repeating itself? The World Health Organization drew up a code of conduct. This only allows very limited marketing of baby food. Most countries' national laws still allow the addition of sugar to baby food, Public Eye says. It criticizes the fact that many laws are based on the so-called Codex Alimentarius, a collection of international standards. Because the code allows up to 20 percent added sugar in infant cereals, many countries have simply followed it. There has been repeated criticism of this from the World Health Organization. The problem is that the code is not binding, but international legislation is. The judge nevertheless noted that Nestlé was certainly responsible for the deaths of thousands of babies in developing countries in the 1970s. The court found Nestlé to be certainly responsible.