Food regulator confirms there’s no new rule on zero added sugar in baby foods

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has confirmed that there is no new regulation mandating zero added sugar in infant foods.

TOI’s queries on media reports that FSSAI had constituted a committee to assess whether added sugar ought to be allowed in infant food products did not elicit any response. However, when asked if a new regulation had been drafted for zero added sugar in infant foods, the authority cited the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations of 2020, which prescribe the standards for different categories of infant food and formulae.

“The said regulation clearly specifies the preferred source of carbohydrates/sugars in food for Infant Nutrition (in the General requirements chapter- I 3(6)) which states that ‘Lactose and glucose polymers shall be the preferred carbohydrates for food for infant nutrition.

Sucrose and/or fructose shall not be added, unless needed as a carbohydrate source, and provided the sum of these does not exceed 20 percent of total carbohydrate’,” stated the FSSAI response. It added that the limits specified for sugars in infant food products under the FSS (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020 are on par with the global regulatory standards (Codex, EU, WHO).

In April 2024, Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organization, and IBFAN (International Baby Food Action Network) had exposed the double standards in how there was added sugar in infant foods sold in poorer countries but not in Nestle’s main markets in Europe or the UK. Their report pointed out that in India, where sales surpassed $250 million in 2022, all Cerelac baby cereals contained added sugar, on average nearly 3 grams per serving.

Their report added that the WHO warns that exposure to sugar early in life can create a life-long preference for sugary products increasing the risk of developing obesity and other chronic illnesses.

A question was asked in Parliament in December 2024 about added sugar in infant foods and about the measures taken or proposed to be taken by the government to regulate added sugar levels in baby food products and whether the government had any plans to frame guidelines or establish standards for added sugar in baby foods to align with global health recommendations.

In his response, union health minister JP Nadda stated that scrutiny of Nestle’s products conducted by FSSAI had found that the added sugar per serving was found to be in compliance with the provisions under Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020.

Though some media reports had claimed that FSSAI is drafting a zero-added-sugar standard for infants (6-24 months), FSSAI has clarified that the old regulation which does not stipulate zero added sugar stands. Six months after the public outrage in India over high sugar level in Cerelac, in October 2024, Nestle launched a new baby food range with no refined sugar.

It announced that 14 out of 21 Cerelac variants sold in India would not contain refined sugar and claimed that this move was initiated three years before the controversy. Nestle’s website claims that over the past years it has already reduced added sugars by 30% and that its products were in full compliance with FSSAI regulations.

It further adds: “Everywhere we operate, our products comply with all applicable local regulations.” Clearly, with no ‘local’ regulation against added sugar in infant foods, Nestle can continue to sell them in India.