BBC
As people become wealthier in Southeast Asia, parents are increasingly turning to commercial food products to feed their babies.
Jennylyn M Barrios' job as a makeup artist takes her all over Manila – precious time away from Uno, her 10-month-old son.
There simply isn't enough time in the day to prepare the home-cooked meals her growing baby needs. But in the rapidly developing Philippines, there are more and more options for busy, working mothers like her.
“If I have to create something from scratch, I have to work twice as hard before I finish the product,” she explains.
“But for Cerelac, I just add hot water and prepare the mixture. I feed him three times a day – for breakfast, lunch and then for dinner. It's easy to feed, available and affordable – all of which are ideal for working moms.
Jennylyn is one of many mothers who have increasingly turned to commercially available baby food products in recent years: sales of instant cereals, porridges, pureed foods, sachets and snacks in throughout Southeast Asia have doubled in five years.
Cerelac – an instant porridge mix – is Nestlé's biggest seller here, offering not only convenience but also aspiration, all for an affordable price, a key factor with the rising cost of living.
A quick search on social media shows scores of ambitious mums with their smiling infants extolling its virtues, including providing some of the essential nutrients growing children need.
But while the product will be instantly recognizable to parents everywhere, the ingredients featured here may not be.
Because in addition to the added micronutrient benefits that Cerelac offers to both parents in the Philippines and the UK, some flavors offer something else: added sugar.
And this, in a country where parents are increasingly abandoning traditional diets in favor of cooked meals, worries health professionals.
Nestlé dominates 98% of the baby food market in the Philippines
In the Philippines, Nestlé says it follows a set of standards and guidelines from the Codex Commission – a collective established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) made up of food manufacturers, governments and United Nations agencies.
“The added sugar that we have in our products is well below the threshold prescribed by international and local guidelines which always follow the FDA, which follow the Codex, and they are the experts in this field,” said Arlene Tan-Bantoto, from Nestlé Nutrition. executive director.
But the WHO has called the current standards insufficient and recommends that they be updated with a particular emphasis on the absence of sugar and salt in foods intended for children under three years old.
Yet a Unicef study of 1,600 baby foods in Southeast Asia found that almost half included added sugars and sweeteners.
There is, says Ms Tan-Bantoto, a simple explanation for why it is needed in Cerelac in particular: to mask the taste of essential nutrients like iron, which has a metallic taste, and the brain nutrient DHA. , which smells of fish.
“Micronutrient deficiency is widespread in the country and we are serious in our efforts to reduce it,” Ms Tan-Bantoto said.
“Ninety-seven percent of babies do not meet their daily nutritional needs and 40% of babies aged zero to five suffer from iron deficiency anemia. And we know that anemia has lifelong consequences. For example, brain development is followed by poor immunity and 20% of children aged zero to five suffer from stunted growth. This means that we fortify our products.
At a clinic in Manila, they regularly see the impact of malnutrition on babies and young children – although as diets change, so does the way cases present themselves.
“Sometimes they are underweight, others overweight and still others severely malnourished,” one doctor told the BBC.
It is impossible to say exactly why there has been an increase in the number of overweight children. Multiple factors explain the rise in obesity, including changing lifestyles and urbanization. But nutritionists say taste preferences develop from a young age, and in some countries, such as the Philippines, many foods aimed at sweet palates are eaten early.
That's why added sugar in a product like Cerelac is so concerning, according to public health experts like Dr. Mianne Silvestre. The most popular Cerelac flavor in the Philippines contains about 17.5g of total sugars per serving – or more than four teaspoons of sugar – but this can include both natural sugars and added sugars. Nestlé says that in the Philippines, there are several variants or flavors without added sugar, as well as flavors with added sugar.
“We always mention that malnutrition is not only about undernutrition, but also overnutrition, overweight and obese children, and children who are very difficult to diet,” says Dr. Silvestre.
“Starting these babies so young on this level of sugar. It's astonishing.
But, according to Ms Tan-Bantoto, Nestlé is “well below the threshold prescribed by international and local guidelines” in terms of added sugar.
Unicef's Alice Nkori says the lack of local government regulation puts parents at a distinct disadvantage.
“If you go to other countries in Europe… they will have regulations that control what is sold there and also ensure that companies clearly publish what is in the contents and at the top of the package. , it is easy for families and consumers to understand what is good for them and what is unhealthy,” she emphasizes.
And it's not just what's in the product – or on the packaging – that needs to be regulated, she adds. “We did a digital analysis… and what we found is that families are 99% bombarded by what is on social media,” Ms Nkori said. “We need to regulate what is published or distributed on social media, especially those aimed at children. »
In the Philippines, many influencers promote baby food products
Chiara Maganalles – or Mommy Diaries PH as she is known on social media – has 1.6 million followers on Facebook. In an animated YouTube video for Nestlé's “Parentteam” educational platform, she talks to tens of thousands of subscribers about the benefits of Cerelac.
She has been promoting the product for years and for her, it is a win-win.
“I mean, with my first child… I gave him Cerelac first because it's convenient… It fits our budget… because of the nutritional content as well, it says that “It's enriched with iron,” she said.
The influence has also transformed Chiara's life: she is now able to support her family with the money she earns from brand contracts.
But critics say paid partnerships can seem like trustworthy expert advice compared to conventional advertising methods. And what Chaira recommended – feeding Cerelac several times a day – even goes against what Nestlé told the BBC.
Ms Tan-Bantoto described it as a “complementary” food to a baby’s diet, which should not be taken “all day”.
“Give at least one bowl,” she said, for the nutritional value.
Nestlé recommends a daily serving of cereal for infants as well as a varied diet, such as fruits, vegetables and meats. The company says the information is shared on its product labels, but promotional materials on e-commerce sites and its educational platform suggest meal plans with Cerelac products up to three times a day.
Imee Marcos, sister of the current president, is sponsoring a bill that would criminalize added sugar in baby foods.
The demand for regulation in the Philippines does indeed have some star power. The sister of the current president and daughter of former President Ferdinand Marcos Snr – Imee Marcos – is sponsoring a bill that would ban baby food manufacturers from adding sugar to their products.
Failure to comply with these rules could result in a hefty fine and imprisonment of one to five years for producers and manufacturers.
“I am hopeful that it will see the light of day. There are so many bills and the food lobbies, the huge multinationals that supply all these foods are immensely powerful and until today I haven't even had a hearing,” said Senator Imee Marcos at the BBC.
For its part, Nestlé says it is listening to concerns and phasing out added sugar in baby foods, but it takes time to balance the nutritional profile and composition of the product with taste.
The company's best-seller is set to receive a sugar-free variety, and plans to completely eliminate all added sugar over the “next two to three years”, Ms Tan-Bantoto said.
