NGO Demands Federal Action Against Nestlé

Thu, Jun 13th 2024

Public Eye urges Swiss government to sue Nestlé over excessive sugar in baby food marketed in developing countries, citing unfair practices.

Public Eye, a non-governmental organization, has accused Nestlé of adding too much sugar to its baby food, particularly in developing countries, and is now demanding federal intervention. The NGO is urging the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) to take legal action “against Nestlé’s unfair business practices abroad.”

Nestlé’s business methods are “unfair in several respects,” says Public Eye. The company allegedly makes “incorrect and misleading statements” about its infant formula products in low-income countries, uses “aggressive sales methods that impair consumers’ freedom of choice,” and conceals “the nature and danger of the infant formula products.”

The NGO considers it “particularly offensive and also unfair” that Nestlé does not add any sugar to the products examined in Switzerland, but does so abroad, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Citing Article 10 of the Federal Act against Unfair Competition (UWG), which allows the federal government to take legal action “if it deems it necessary to protect the public interest,” the NGO is now demanding a federal lawsuit against Nestlé.

Public Eye insists that Seco should call on Nestlé to remove added sugar from baby food products in all countries or, at the very least, stop marketing the products as healthy and clearly declare the amount of added sugar on the products in all countries.

Seco confirmed receipt of the complaint from Public Eye but has not yet commented on how it will proceed.

©Keystone/SDA

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