On Tuesday, 18th November 2025, at the LASCOPA Conference Room in Lagos, Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF), in partnership with a Swiss NGO, Public Eye, brought a critical consumer protection issue to the forefront, which is the troubling double standard in the nutritional quality of Nestle baby cereals sold in Africa compared to those sold in Europe.

Parents naturally trust that the products they buy for their children are safe and held to the highest standards, which makes it even more important that this trust is protected. Our joint investigation revealed a pattern that demands scrutiny: several varieties of Nestlé’s Cerelac baby cereals sold across African markets, including Nigeria, contain added sugar, while the identical products sold in Europe contain none.

This discrepancy is not a minor difference in formulation, it is a significant issue with long-term implications. Early exposure to added sugars has been shown to influence children’s taste preferences and increase the risk of non-communicable diseases later in life. This is why the World Health Organization strongly advises against added sugar in baby foods.

Yet, despite these global health guidelines, certain Cerelac products sold locally include added sugar, justified under Nigeria’s current Codex-based standard, a standard that is increasingly seen as inadequate for protecting infants’ nutritional wellbeing.

Why This Matters for Nigerian Consumers

Baby food is not just another product on a supermarket shelf but a product that shapes early nutrition, early health outcomes, and lifelong dietary habits. The presence of added sugar in products intended for infants, especially when the same products are sold sugar-free in Europe, raises concerns around:

• Equity: Why should African children receive a different nutritional standard?
• Transparency: Why is the sugar content not clearly communicated?
• Accountability: How can consumers trust products that vary by region?

During the media briefing, our Executive Director, Prof. Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor, emphasized the need for transparency, fairness, and responsible production systems, reiterating that no child’s health should be compromised by unequal standards. We believe that every parent deserves accurate, accessible information to make informed decisions. And we believe Nigerian consumers deserve the same quality, safety, and integrity provided in European markets.

In light of the findings, CADEF is calling on the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and all other nutritional regulatory bodies to review and update national standards for infant cereals, align Nigeria’s guidelines with global health best practices, ensure all nutritional labels offer clear, easy-to-understand product information and demand accountability from manufacturers operating across multiple regions.

Join us in advocating for stronger consumer protection policies.