Nestle Fairs Poorly In Baby Food Safety Globally; Scores Low In Code Compliance

Nestle, the Switzerland-based FMCG company, is a powerful force in the consumer goods sector globally. Most importantly, it is also a household name with a significant influence and footprint in India as well.

Nestle’s Troubled Past

Recently, the brand that previously invited trouble over lead content in its ‘Maggi’ noodles found itself in a soup over the quality of its baby food product, Cerelac, in early 2024.

In what is a continuation of the same trend, according to a report from Access to Nutrition Initiative, the multi-national company has faired poorly in its research conducted for BMS or ‘Breast Milk Substitute’ food items, that are given to human infants.

This research involved 19 other companies, like Nestle, who collectively hold over 70 per cent of this market.

The research was conducted in China, Germany, Vietnam, Indonesia and the US.

Nestle’s Non-Compliance Streak

When it comes to Nestle’s, which is one of the biggest names in the business, progress in code compliance, the report presents an abysmal picture. According to the Dutch research group, the company has had an extremely low compliance rate in all of the above-mentioned countries.

The company had a total average non-compliance of 43.8 across the 5 countries. Here, it is to be noted that the lowest bar for non-compliance stands at 20 incidents of non-compliance. The average recorded by Nestle is double that amount.

Cerelac, NAN, & Others Under Scanner

Nestle, which holds a mammoth 21 per cent of the market, had the most number of incidents in Indonesia, where it was flagged on 84 different occasions.

In the US, the number stood at 17. In Germany, abberations were seen on 32 occasions. Cumulatively, a total of 89 products were scrutinised.

The BMS products in question include NAN, Illuma, S-26, Belsol, Beba, Little Steps, Dancow, Lactogen, S-26, NANKID and some other popular products including Gerber, Alfamino, NIDO, Cerelac and NAN.

Apart from Nestle, some of the other big names that were scrutinsed in the research include a2 Milk, Abbott, Danone and Reckitt.