Nestlé Ethiopia has relaunched its popular infant cereal brand, NESTLÉ CERELAC into the Ethiopian market. NESTLÉ CERELAC is an infant cereal with milk specially formulated for babies above 6 months.
The food and beverage manufacturer has re-introduced two variants of the product: NESTLÉ CERELAC Wheat 200gm and NESTLÉ CERELAC Banana 200gm, which are retailing at a recommended price of 120 Birr. The cereals are available in supermarkets, souks, counter stores, pharmacies, hospitals, and wholesalers across the country.
NESTLÉ CERELAC contains Vitamin A & C, Iron, Iodine, Omega 3, and Vitamin B1. Several scientific studies have proven that these vitamins support healthy brain and cognitive development in infants.
“While breastmilk remains the main source of nutrients for babies six months and below, NESTLÉ CERELAC Infant Cereal with milk makes for an appropriate complementary food for babies after six months, to fulfil their nutritional needs for growth and development,” said Wossenyeleh Shiferaw, Nestlé Horn of Africa Cluster Manager.
In 1867, Henry Nestlé (the founder of Nestlé), a pharmacist, invented milk-enriched cereals to fight against infant malnutrition, then widespread in Europe. Today, Nestlé still carries on with this tradition of providing adapted infant nutritional solutions recognized by healthcare professionals.
Nestlé also focuses its activities and nutrition education with healthcare professionals (HCPs) as part of its commitment to implement nutrition education programs to promote good nutrition practices.
Fortified infant cereals are effective in reducing the risk of iron deficiency and anemia. Poor nutritional practices in young children exposes them to greater risks of morbidity making complementary feeding in sub-Saharan African countries including Ethiopia (where stunting and anemia is common) particularly important.
By offering products such as NESTLÉ CERELAC to consumers, Nestlé is helping to increase nutrients in children’s diets using nutritious and appropriate complementary foods.
While currently NESTLÉ CERELAC is not produced in Ethiopia, the Company stated that it always aims to produce very close to all its markets. In that regards, investing in and establishing a local processing plant in Ethiopia is something the company may start looking at.
