National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said Nido, a follow-up milk formula brand intended for use for infants aged one and above, produced by Nestle, the world’s largest consumer goods company, is not in the Nigerian market.
Reports being circulated widely on social media had claimed that Nestle adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in many poorer countries, contrary to international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases.
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The report stated that samples of baby food products sold in Asia, Africa and Latin America were tested and results of the analysis and examination of product packaging revealed added sugar in the form of sucrose or honey in samples of Nido, a follow-up milk formula brand intended for use for infants aged one and above, and Cerelac, a cereal aimed at children aged between six months and two years.
In its reaction, NAFDAC affirmed that Nido is not registered in Nigeria, not known to the agency and is not in circulation in Nigeria.
The agency, in a press statement, yesterday, disclosed that the range of Nestle Cerelac infant cereals distributed in Nigeria are duly registered with NAFDAC in line with the Nigerian Industrial Standard for Foods for Infants and Young Children—Processed Cereal Based foods (NIS 256:2010), the Codex Standard for Processed Cereal-based Foods for Infants and Young Children (CXS 74-1981, adopted in 1981, revised in 2006, amended in 2017, 2019, and 2023), as well as the applicable NAFDAC regulations for compliance with safety, quality, and labelling requirements.
The scope of the standards covers processed cereal-based foods intended for feeding infants as complementary food from the age of six months, it stated.
NAFDAC asserted that the national and international food standards for processed cereal-based foods for infants and young children permit the addition of sucrose, fructose, glucose, glucose syrup or honey to products consisting of cereals which are or have to be prepared for consumption with milk or other appropriate nutritious liquids, provided the amount of added carbohydrates from these sources shall not exceed the stated levels of 1.8 g/100 kJ (7.5 g/100 kcal); and specifically, the maximum level of added fructose shall not exceed 0.9 g/100 kJ (3.75 g/100 kcal).
“It is important to mention that these national and international food standards for processed cereal-based foods for infants and young children permit the addition of sucrose, fructose, glucose, glucose syrup, or honey to products consisting of cereals which are or have to be prepared for consumption with milk or other appropriate nutritious liquids, provided the amount of added carbohydrates from these sources shall not exceed the stated levels of 1.8 g/100 kJ (7.5 g/100 kcal); and specifically, the maximum level of added fructose shall not exceed 0.9 g/100 kJ (3.75 g/100 kcal).
“For cereals with an added high-protein food which are or have to be prepared for consumption with water or other appropriate protein-free liquid, carbohydrates (if sucrose, fructose, glucose, glucose syrup, or honey) are added, provided the amount of added carbohydrates from these sources shall not exceed 1.2 g/100 kJ (5 g/100 kcal); and specifically, the maximum level of added fructose shall not exceed 0.6 g/100 kJ (2.5 g/100 kcal).
“It is important to note that carbohydrates are made of the building blocks of sugars and can be classified according to how many sugar units are combined in their molecules. Glucose, fructose, and galactose are examples of single-unit sugars, also known as monosaccharides. Double-unit sugars are called disaccharides, among which sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (milk sugar) are most widely known,” it explained.
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