Сахар в детском питании в Азии вызывает беспокойство

Cerelac, an instant cereal mix, is Nestle’s biggest seller in the Philippines, offering convenience and affordable prices, a key factor in the rising cost of living.

A quick search on social media показывает many ambitious moms with their smiling babies extolling the benefits of the formula, including that it contains some of the most important nutrients that growing children need.

But while the product will be instantly recognizable to parents around the world, the ingredients in it may not be so recognizable.

That’s because, along with the benefits of extra micronutrients that Cerelac offers parents in the Philippines and the UK, some flavors in Southeast Asia offer something else: added sugar.

This, in a country where parents are increasingly shifting away from traditional foods and toward convenience foods, is a concern for health professionals.

In the Philippines, Nestlé says it adheres to the standards and recommendations of the Codex Commission, a collegial body established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which includes food producers, governments and UN agencies.

“The sugar content of our products is well below the thresholds set by international and local regulations, which are always enforced by the FDA, who adhere to the Code, and who are experts in this area,” said Arlene Tan-Bantoto, chief executive officer of Nestlé Nutrition.

A UNICEF study that analyzed 1,600 baby foods in Southeast Asia found that almost half of them contained sugar and sweeteners.

According to Ms. Tan-Bantoto, there is a simple explanation for why they are needed in Cerelac: to mask the taste of important nutrients such as iron, which has a metallic flavor,