GS Paper III

News Excerpt:

According to a new report Nestle’s baby food products sold in India have higher sugar content. These revelations are particularly concerning for several reasons.

What are added sugars?

• Added sugars are sweetening agents such as syrups that are added in processed foods and beverages. 
• They are considered to be more harmful than the naturally occurring sugars found in fruits and milk.
• When sugar is added to baby formula food, babies are much more likely to drink it up because of the pleasing taste. 

Concern about sugar in baby food:

The promotion of sugar-containing infant formulas in India and other developing countries raises concerns. 

• The inclusion of added sugars in infant formulas amplifies the threat of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease at an early age for populations, like India’s, with a known propensity to such diseases. 
• Introducing sugar-containing feeds at the age of six months is highly detrimental to Indian infants who are already fragile. Damage to organ systems at this stage leaves permanent metabolic scars.
• formula-fed infants continuously exposed to a predominantly sweet taste are more likely to develop a preference for such flavours later in their lives.
• This has the potential to foster a dependence on sweet intake, perpetuating early organ damage in adolescence and early adulthood.

How does such baby food harm the tender livers and pancreases of infants? 

• Constant exposure to simple sugars places an additional burden on the pancreas to produce insulin (resulting in “hyperinsulinemia”), leading to its exhaustion. 
• This process also induces resistance to the hormone leptin and in the process contributes to obesity. 
• Both pancreatic exhaustion and excess body fat raise blood sugar levels and release harmful substances known as “inflammatory cytokines”, which can damage the kidneys and heart and lead to hypertension.

Why added sugar is not required by infants

• Newborn babies primarily receive their nutrition from breast milk or infant formula in case of inadequate breast milk availability. 
• These sources already contain an appropriate balance of sugars (lactose) along with essential fats, proteins, minerals and nutrients crucial for a baby's growth and development. 
• Breast milk is naturally sweet due to lactose, which provides the necessary energy for the baby's growing body. 
• Giving sugar beyond what is naturally present in breast milk or formula can be problematic for the child.

Other unhealthy and unethical practices by companies:

• Companies are also pursuing other unhealthy practices, including influencing doctors, medical societies and media celebrities endorsing unhealthy products and claims that infant formula is healthier than breast milk, etc. 
• There is often also an effort to promote such unhealthy products by engineering experts and celebrity endorsements.

Way Forward:

• The need of the hour to keep a check on added sugars in baby food be:
• • Nutrition Labelling Requirements i.e implementing clear and standardised nutrition labelling on food products, including information on sugar content, to help consumers make informed choices.
  • Restrictions on Marketing i.e introducing regulations to restrict the marketing of high-sugar foods and beverages targeted at children to reduce their exposure to unhealthy food promotions.
  • Food Reformulation i.e encouraging food manufacturers to reformulate products to reduce sugar content and promote healthier options, particularly for foods targeted at children
• Considering the heightened propensity of Indians for developing diabetes and its complications, every effort must be made to avoid any potential triggers from an early age. Regulation in this matter demands unequivocal stringency.