Sugar-free Marketing Trap: Why your child’s ‘health drink’ may be anything but healthy

High‑budget marketing campaigns for infant milk‑mix products often mislead parents with claims of being ‘sugar‑free’ or ‘no refined sugar’. Experts advise parents to avoid added sugars until age two and moderate consumption thereafter.

Hyderabad: For new parents and young couples, the arrival of a child brings a wave of protective instincts, which is often targeted by high-budget marketing campaigns. Labels on infant milk-mix like ‘no-refined sugar’, ‘sugar-free’, ‘contains no sugar’ or ‘help your child grow’ are specifically designed to appeal to these parental anxieties.

Due to constant exposure to such high-voltage marketing campaigns, couples often end up confused or buying into the hype. However, does the infant really need a milk-mix? And does such ‘milk-mix’ really not have sugar?

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In the past year, in addition to Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), public health specialists and pediatricians have consistently warned about ‘milk-mix’ and health drinks that make misleading promises.

In its latest dietary guidelines, the NIN is crystal clear “Infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months. Breastfeeding should be continued for two years. Avoid feeding honey, glucose or dilute milk formula before the initiation of breastfeeding and anytime during the first six months”.

Noted senior pediatrician from Hyderabad, Dr Sivaranjani Santosh has been quite vocal about how milk mix products make misleading claims.

“First of all, there is no need for milk-mix. If couples have decided to feed their infants with milk-mix, then they should avoid falling for the ‘Sugar Marketing Trap’ by getting misled after reading misleading claims like ‘sugar-free’ or contain ‘no refined sugar’. In reality, manufacturers often substitute white sugar with jaggery, honey, or date sugar,” she says.

The NIN 2024 dietary guidelines point out that the body is incapable of distinguishing between these ‘natural’ options and table sugar. The Glycaemic Index (GI) of jaggery is nearly identical to refined sugar, causing the same rapid insulin spikes.

A few days ago, Dr Sivaranjani, in a talk, drew attention towards a particularly deceptive tactic of using Maltodextrins.

These additives often have a glycemic index even higher than glucose, yet due to a regulatory loophole, they aren’t legally classified as ‘sugar’ by the FSSAI, allowing brands to market products as ‘sugar-free’ while actually delivering a massive blood-sugar hit to infants and toddlers.

“Up to two years of age, no added sugar is recommended. Giving a date as a fresh fruit is ok, but sweetening the food with date sugar is not. Even after the second birthday, couples must moderate the consumption of sugar,” Dr Sivaranjani advises.