Busting the myth of science - based formula

The report examines Nestlé's infant milk products across 40 countries, finding that the company often uses nutritional science as a marketing tool rather than a formulation guide. It highlights inconsistencies where products contain ingredients like sucrose and flavourings that Nestlé's own labels advise against in other markets. Furthermore, the report notes that Nestlé uses health claims for probiotics and prebiotics in some regions despite these being prohibited in the EU due to insufficient evidence. The investigation concludes that product development is driven by consumer trends and profit maximization, leading to 'premium' products with varying compositions and prices that lack a clear scientific rationale.

• Nestlé's nutritional advice to parents is inconsistent across different markets and often contradicts the composition of its own products. For instance, while products in Brazil and Hong Kong advise against sucrose, Nestlé sells infant milks containing sucrose in South Africa.
• The company markets some products in Hong Kong as healthier for lacking vanilla flavourings, yet other Nestlé products in Hong Kong, mainland China, and South Africa contain vanillin compounds.
• Nestlé uses health claims for probiotics and prebiotics in several American and Asian countries, despite the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) prohibiting such claims in Europe due to a lack of sufficient scientific evidence.
• In the UK, Nestlé markets formula for “hungrier babies”, a claim the National Health Service (NHS) rejects, stating there is no evidence that such formula helps babies settle better or sleep longer.
• The report concludes that Nestlé's product development is driven by marketing considerations and consumer preferences to maximize profit rather than by nutritional science.
• There is no clear scientific link between the composition of 'premium' products and their higher prices; for example, in Poland, a product with more added ingredients (fibres, DHA, and bacteria) was priced lower than some other NAN formulas.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2018). Busting the myth of science - based formula. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BUSTING-THE-MYTH-OF-SCIENCE-BASED-FORMULA.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Busting the myth of science - based formula. 2018. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BUSTING-THE-MYTH-OF-SCIENCE-BASED-FORMULA.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Busting the myth of science - based formula |date=February 2018 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BUSTING-THE-MYTH-OF-SCIENCE-BASED-FORMULA.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2018busting, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Busting the myth of science - based formula}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2018}, month = feb, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BUSTING-THE-MYTH-OF-SCIENCE-BASED-FORMULA.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }