India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) has formed a committee to evaluate whether sugar should be permitted in infant food products. The panel will examine the extent and conditions under which sugar can be added.
Current regulations allow sucrose and fructose in baby food only as a carbohydrate source, capped at 20% of total carbohydrates. Marketing and promotion of infant foods remain strictly controlled under existing laws.
The review follows scrutiny of Nestle’s Cerelac products, which faced criticism in 2024 for containing sugar in India and other developing markets, while reportedly sold without sugar in some developed markets. Nestle India has contested claims of product differences between countries.
The committee has not been given a deadline for reporting its findings.