Cerelac discrimination against Indian babies: How moms can make safe baby food at home

Many of us have grown up eating Cerelac, the quintessential baby food. But back in time, nobody paid any heed to the ingredients list of these products and we believed that all such baby food products are safe and healthy. As time changed and people became aware, we realised that these packaged foods are not as good as we thought them to be. As per latest reports by Public Eye, two of the best-selling baby-food brands by Nestle in India contain high levels of added sugar, while such products are sugar-free in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, and other developed nations.

The report states that Nestle adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products in several countries, a violation of international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases.

As per the report, the violations were found only in Asian, African, and Latin American countries. India has taken note of the report and is examining the charges against the baby-food products.

But, as and when the report amplified on social media, Nestle India Ltd, mentioned the media agencies that the company has reduced the total amount of added sugars in its infant cereals portfolio by 30% over the past five years and it continues to "review" and "reformulate" products to reduce them further.

The findings of the study says that in India, all 15 Cerelac baby products contain an average of nearly 3 grams of sugar per serving. The same product is being sold with no added sugar in Germany and the UK, while in Ethiopia and Thailand, it contains nearly 6 grams. As per food experts, many-a-times, the amount of added sugar is often not even disclosed in the nutritional information available on the packaging of these kinds of products.

The report further says that while the company highlights the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients contained in its products using idealizing imagery, it's not transparent when it comes to added sugar. Experts say that adding sugar, which is highly addictive, to baby products is a dangerous and unnecessary practice.

As per health experts, the sugar foods are addictive and when kids at a young age start having it, they get addicted and start looking for more sugary foods, which later results in obesity and other health issues.

If you are also concerned about the sugar content in cerelac and wish to avoid it. Here's the simplest recipe to try at home.

Ingredients required
1 cup rice, 2 tbsp moong dal, 2 tbsp masoor dal, 2 tbsp black urad dal, 2 tbsp horse gram, 5 almonds, 2 tbsp dalia, and water

Method
In a large bowl wash rice along with all the dals, and allow them to dry under the sun. Now take dried rice and roast on low flame. Also , dry roast the dals and blend rice and dals along with almonds and dalia into a fine powder. Sieve the powder using a fine mesh to prevent any grains. Your homemade cerelac mixture is ready. Store in an airtight container and use.