FAQ

• Cereal based weaning foods are intended for feeding infants as a first complementary food, and as part of a progressively diversified diet. They contain the various nutrients needed in this type of food that is intended for the age group 6 months to 3 years.
• Nestlé CERELAC® is a source of energy dense complex carbohydrates, protein and fat in appropriate proportions which are beneficial for infants whose stomach capacity is still developing.
• CERELAC® has been divided into four developmental stages to help a baby learn new eating skills.
• Starter cereals are bland, providing an introduction to texture.
• As the infant becomes more confident, the flavours are adapted in each stage to provide more complex tastes.
• Research suggests early introduction of a variety of vegetable and fruit flavours in addition to lumpier textures at 7 – 8 months decreases the incidence of feeding difficulties, in addition to a greater acceptance of fruit and vegetables later in life.
• Stage 1 (from 6 months): Are gentle first foods which are bland and have a fine texture.
• Stage 2 (from 7 months): Provides new tastes to help expand your baby’s variety.
• Stage 3 (from 8 months): Introduces complex tastes within the same meal.
• Stage 4 (from 12 months): Provides a strong foundation on which to build future tastes.

• Iron contributes to normal cognitive development.
• For infants and toddlers, particularly as they start weaning, their iron stores are low, and whether breast or bottle-fed, it is important to ensure that sufficient iron is available as part of the weaning diet.
• Iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency in infants’ diets worldwide, and this deficiency can cause anaemia which is associated with poor health and functional impairments that diminish infant and child development. Iron nutrition during the weaning period is therefore of particular concern, since the timing for the introduction of weaning foods usually coincides with increased iron requirements due to rapid growth around 4-6months of age, and the greatest prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia occurs between 6-24 months of age. Therefore it is very important to ensure adequate quantities of bioavailable iron in the weaning diet.
• Nestlé® has combined highly bioavailable iron (iron that is more easily absorbed) with optimised levels of vitamin C to enhance iron absorption.

• A 50g serving of CERELAC® provides on average 52% of an infant’s daily iron needs and 60% of a toddler’s daily requirement.

• Calcium and vitamin D play a key role in the normal growth and development of bones in children, so ensuring there is sufficient calcium and vitamin D available in the weaning diet is important.
• The latest nutrition surveys in the UK show that the intakes of vitamin D in toddlers are well below the recommended intake levels and are one of the most vulnerable vitamins in the UK diet.

• 1 serving of 50g provides around 40% of an infant or toddler’s daily requirement of calcium and vitamin D.

• Nestlé UK supports the Department of Health’s recommendation for the introduction of complementary food from the age of 6 months.
• In line with the WHO and Department of Health recommendations, the introduction of complementary foods is only necessary at 6 months, as opposed to the original 4 months recommendation.

• At 6 months breast milk no longer meets the nutritional needs of your growing infant, especially for protein, energy, iron, zinc and vitamins A and D.
• The introduction of complementary foods allows the infant to progress from an all-liquid diet to one eventually containing family foods.
• As a baby grows there are also changes with respect to the energy distribution in the diet.
• As they grow, a baby needs less energy from fat and more from carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and rice.
• The introduction of complementary foods also heralds an important time for the establishment of healthy eating habits and exposure to more bacteria and antigens.
• It is an important developmental stage where infants learn how to chew in addition to meeting nutritional requirements.

• No, skimmed milk powder is one of its ingredients.

• Skimmed milk powder is used in CERELAC®.

• Full cream milk contains too much saturated fat, so skimmed milk is used.
• In addition to this, a special vegetable oil mix has been added to ensure just the right blend of essential fats is provided.

• CERELAC® already contains milk.
• Lukewarm water (previously boiled) is all that is required to make the cereal.

The following CERELAC® recipes are gluten-free:

• Rice with Milk
• Rice and Maize with Milk
• Mixed Vegetables & Rice with Milk

• The ‘Stages’ refer to the developmental stages of a baby’s growth and development.

• It will depend on the child’s age as well as oral and motor skills.

• A simple rule of thumb is that at 6 months of age a baby should still be receiving breast milk or 600–750ml formula milk in addition to a variety of other foods with various textures and consistencies, which includes CERELAC®, depending on his age and stage of development.
• By the age of 12 months the amount of milk required will have decreased to around 500ml in addition to meals and snacks containing a wide variety of foods, textures and consistencies.

As per instructions on the tin:

• Always wash your hands thoroughly before preparing a feed & ensure all utensils are clean.
• -Boil fresh water. Allow to cool.
• At the start of weaning use small quantities of CERELAC®. The amount fed can vary according to your baby’s appetite.  Increase portions as needed to a full serving of 50g of CERELAC® powder mixed with 150ml of pre-boiled lukewarm drinking water.
• -How much to use: 
  • From 6 months (Stage 1) ~ use 1 serving of CERELAC® per day
  • From 7 months (Stage 2) ~ use1 serving of CERELAC® per day
  • From 8 months (Stage 3) ~ use up to 2 servings of CERELAC® per day
  • From 12 months (Stage 4) ~ use up to 2 servings of CERELAC® per day
• Always test the temperature before serving it to your baby/toddler.
• -Use immediately
• -Throw away any unfinished portion
• -Close tin tightly and store it in a cool, dry place.
• -Use within 4 weeks of opening.

• It is important not to override a baby’s satiety cues (his feeling of fullness), as this will help him to regulate his appetite when he is older.
• We would recommend an individual should stop feeding a baby when he shows signs of being full such as:
  • Turning or shaking his head
  • Keeping his mouth shut
  • Crying or fussing
• It is important that any unfinished cereal is discarded.

• No, the Department of Health does not recommend cereals to be made liquid enough to be drunk in a bottle with a teat or cup.
• By adding CERELAC® to an infants’ milk bottle you will provide too much milk, as CERELAC® contains milk already.
• All cereal should be eaten from a spoon unless otherwise advised.

• No. Although this practice is common in other countries, we support the Department of Health’s recommendations which advise against this.
• Cereal contains milk and by adding it to a milk in bottle, you would provide too much protein and other macro- and micronutrients, which may exceed safe levels.
• We recommend CERELAC® is eaten from a spoon as a cereal/porridge meal.

• CERELAC® contains similar amounts of carbohydrate and sugar as other infant cereals available in the UK.
• There are many different kinds of sugar of which sucrose or table sugar is one.
• There is NO ADDED SUCROSE in CERELAC® except for a small quantity in the WHEAT (Stage 1) variant.
• Other sugars are naturally occurring in foods and have not been added. One such example is milk which contains a sugar called lactose.
• Lactose in milk is considered an intrinsic (or naturally occurring) sugar. However, it still contributes towards the final sugar content of CERELAC®, which is one of the reasons it seems to contain a lot of sugar.
• The other sugars in CERELAC® are derived from the glucose and fructose in the fruit added to the cereal.
• Finally, as the starches in the wholegrain have been pre-digested [hydrolysed] some of the naturally occurring sugars are released, making the product taste sweeter than other similar cereals.

The Department of Health recommends that honey should not be given to infants under the age of 1 year. In line with these recommendations CERELAC® with Honey should only be given to children over the age of 1 year.

• CERELAC® comes in a great variety of flavours (nine in total) which includes a variety of wholegrains such as rice, wheat, maize and oats.
• CERELAC® is designed to provide a range of micronutrients to help support your baby’s growth and development, including iron, calcium and vitamin D. 
• CERELAC® is also available in a recyclable, convenient and resealable tin rather than a bag in box.
• Another difference between CERELAC® and other products is that it contains partially digested starch and it does not thicken on standing.

• All varieties come in 400g tins.
• The Wheat, Wheat & Mixed Fruits and Wheat & Honey also come in 1kg tins.

• Our maximum recommended serving size is 50g.
• A 400g tin will provide a minimum of 8 servings.
• A 1kg tin will provide a minimum of 20 servings.

• Find out where to buy CERELAC ® from our ‘Where to buy’ section
• Nestlé CERELAC® is a well-known brand in Europe, Asia, Africa and Afro-Caribbean and has been sold in major UK food retailers in ‘Foods of the World’ Aisles since 2005. Several Tesco, Morrisons and ASDA stores stock CERELAC® in ‘Foods of the World’ aisles.
• The names of these stores can be obtained by calling the individual company Customer Service numbers.
  • Tesco 0800 505555
  • Morrisons 03456116111
  • Asda  0800 9520101
• CERELAC® is also available in most corner shops and ethnic stores across the UK such as in Brixton, Peckham, Birmingham and Manchester.

We modernised our CERELAC packaging in August (2018) with a new colour scheme inspired by nature.  It shows the ingredients we use and we hope you like our new packaging!

It is just the packaging that has changed, same recipe.