NESTLE TO LAUNCH OF 'NO REFINED SUGAR' VARIANTS OF INFANT FOOD CERELAC

October 17, 2024- Nestle India is set to introduce new variants of its popular infant food, Cerelac, with no refined sugar. This move comes after the company faced criticism for adding sugar to its Cerelac products in India. The new variants are part of Nestle India's ongoing commitment to improve the nutritional profile of its products. In a recent earnings statement, Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanan announced that the company had achieved its goal of launching these refined sugar-free Cerelac variants, a plan that was initiated three years ago.

The expanded Cerelac range will now include 21 variants, with 14 of them being free from refined sugar. Seven of these new variants are expected to hit the shelves by the end of November 2024, with the remaining variants to follow in the coming weeks. This initiative follows concerns raised earlier in the year by the Swiss investigative group Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), who alleged that Nestle added sugar to Cerelac in India and other developing countries, while it sold sugar-free versions in developed markets.

Nestle India, however, refuted these claims, stating that there was no difference between the products sold in India and those in other markets. The first batch of Cerelac was produced in 1975 at the Moga factory in Punjab, and today, the company continues to manufacture quality nutrition products with care at its Moga and Samalkha facilities.