August 16, 2025

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has taken a spicy step! It has formed a special committee to check if sugar should be allowed in baby foods like Cerelac. This move follows strong criticism after Nestle was found adding sugar to Cerelac in India and other developing countries. Shockingly, in rich countries, Nestle sells Cerelac without any sugar. You heard that right! India’s current laws on baby food are quite strict. While infant food companies cannot promote their products freely, they can add sugar—specifically sucrose and fructose—but with limits. According to the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2019, sugars like sucrose and fructose "shall not be added, unless needed as a carbohydrate source, and provided the sum of these does not exceed 20% of total carbohydrates." An insider, who wished to stay anonymous, said, "The committee will assess if India should allow companies to add sugar to their infant food and if yes then how much." However, the committee has not been given any deadline to submit its report. The controversy heated up in April 2024, when Public Eye, a Swiss investigative group, and the International Baby Food Action Network accused Nestle of sneaking in added sugar in Cerelac sold in India and other developing markets. Meanwhile, Nestle denied any difference, stating the products sold in India are the same as those sold abroad. Nestle India, in its latest annual report, proudly claimed it had reduced sugar in Cerelac by up to 30% over five years and also launched a new Cerelac range offering a "no refined sugar" option. But is that enough to satisfy critics and concerned parents? With FSSAI’s committee now in place, this drama on sugar in baby food might soon reach a verdict. Will India tighten rules to protect its tiniest consumers? Stay tuned for this deliciously important story!

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Tags: Food safety and standards authority of india, Cerelac, Infant food sugar, Nestle, Baby food regulations, Sugar in infant food,