Nestlé’s leading baby-food brands, promoted in low- and middle-income countries as healthy and key to supporting young children’s development, co

How Nestlé gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income countries

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2024-04-17 17:30:04

Nestlé’s leading baby-food brands, promoted in low- and middle-income countries as healthy and key to supporting young children’s development, contain high levels of added sugar. In Switzerland, where Nestlé is headquartered, such products are sold with no added sugar. These are the main findings of a new investigation by Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), which shed light on Nestlé’s hypocrisy and the deceptive marketing strategies deployed by the Swiss food giant.

Meagan Adonis was 23 when she became blind as a result of a serious health condition. That same year she found out that she was pregnant, and was worried about the challenges of being a blind mum. She has now found her motherhood feet, and recently gave birth to a second child. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, the “blind goddess” – as she calls herself – now documents her life for more than 125,000 followers on social media and chronicles her daily routine with her new baby.

Last year, Meagan posted several videos on TikTok promoting Cerelac infant cereals for babies from six months of age. “As you can see, I have a very active baby”, she explains in a video in December. “As a blind mum, feeding time is always an adventure! […] Now let’s go and prepare his favourite meal of the day. Little bodies need big support with Nestlé Cerelac being the perfect addition to our mealtime,” she assures her audience in a cheerful tone – while omitting to mention that this maternal counsel comes as part of a paid partnership with Nestlé.