A Window of Opportunity to Regulate Commercial Foods for Infants and Toddlers in Australia

Health experts are concerned about poor nutritional quality and misleading marketing of many commercially available foods for infants and toddlers. In today’s post, VicHealth (@VicHealth) Research Fellow Alexandra Chung (@Chung_Alexandra) from Monash University (@Monash_FMNHS @MonashNutrition) explains how government regulation could improve these products and protect the health of young children in Australia.

 

Commercial infant and toddler food falls short of minimum standards

The window of opportunity is open for giving parents more reliable information on food packaging aimed at infants and toddlers. Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

Commercial foods for infants and toddlers include packaged cereals, purees, snack foods and ready-made meals sold for infants up to 12 months and toddlers aged 1 to 3 years. These products represent a growing sector of the grocery market and are regularly consumed by young children. In Australia, one in three (31%) children aged up to five years eat commercial ready-made foods at least once a week, and one in five (19%) consume these products most days of the week.

Recent assessments of commercial foods for infants and toddlers have found that many products available in Australia fail to meet international standards. The World Health Organization’s Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model for food products for infants and young children 6–36 months (NPPM) provides guidance on the nutrient composition and promotion of food products for infants and young children and sets criteria for nutrient content, labelling, and marketing practices.

We recently assessed commercial foods for infants and toddlers against the NPPM. We found that fewer than one in four products (23%) met all the nutrient content requirements set by the NPPM. Of concern, 43% of these products exceeded the recommended limits for sugar, with processed sugars extracted from fruit - such as fruit juice, fruit pastes and fruit purees - a common source.

Sugar intake should be minimal in early childhood. This includes sugars extracted from fruit which are commonly added to foods for infants and toddlers. Consumption of added sugar increases risks of overweight, obesity and dental caries, and can lead to an increased preference for sweet tasting foods among young children.

Other research has also highlighted the problem of sugar in foods for infants and toddlers. This study found that all fruit snacks, 97% of fruit purees and fruit desserts, and 60% of vegetable purees exceeded the NPPM threshold for total energy from sugar with more than 30% total energy from sugar. According to the NPPM, these products would be required to display a high sugar warning on the front-of-pack.

High sugar content and sweet flavour profile is of particular concern in products packaged in squeeze pouches. Analysis of squeeze pouches marketed for infants and toddlers in Australia found that 72% of products contained free sugars, and less than 10% of products contained green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli. The texture of products in squeeze pouches is typically a smooth puree, and whilst this is an ideal texture when children first begin eating food, they quickly become ready for more lumpy textures that are not offered in squeeze pouches.

In our analysis, none of the products examined met all the labelling or promotional requirements of the NPPM.  For example, the NPPM specifies that products must include a statement on the importance of ‘not introducing complementary feeding before 6 months of age’, however no products in our study included this statement. This recommendation is consistent with Australia’s Infant Feeding Guidelines which state that infants can be offered a range of complementary foods from around 6 months. Some commercially available products contradict this recommendation by stating that the product can be consumed from 4 months.

The NPPM also restricts the types of marketing claims that can be used. All products in our analysis included at least one promotional marketing claim that was not permitted under the NPPM. Claims such as ‘natural’, ‘no added sugar’, ‘made with real fruit’ have all been observed on front-of-pack. Earlier research we conducted found that these claims appeal to parents’ intentions to choose healthy and nutritious foods for their children but are misleading given many products fail to meet the NPPM nutrition criteria.

 

An opportunity for action

In response to growing concern about commercial foods for infants and toddlers, the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care recently held a public consultation on improving commercial foods for infants and young children.

This presents a critical opportunity for the government to develop and implement comprehensive, mandatory regulations that improve the composition, labelling, and promotion of commercial foods for infants and toddlers in Australia. Policy reform is necessary to ensure commercial foods meet the highest possible standards to protect the diets and health of Australia’s youngest children.

Key considerations for regulation to improve commercial foods for infants and young children include product labelling, marketing and composition.

Clear and accurate labelling is crucial for helping parents make informed decisions. Health, nutrition and other claims should not be allowed on-pack, and child-directed marketing should not be allowed on foods for infants and toddlers. Products should be named in a way that accurately reflects the main ingredients. The NPPM recommends product names clearly indicate the main ingredients.

Age labelling should promote the development of optimal feeding practices. For example, squeeze pouches with spouts should include an upper age limit and a statement that the product should be consumed with a spoon, and not directly from the spout. 

 Parents should be able to trust that commercial foods for infants and toddlers are nutritionally adequate. This includes setting limits on total sugars, fats, and salt, and ensuring that products meet recommended guidelines for essential nutrients for healthy growth and development.

This growing body of evidence demonstrates significant gaps in the nutritional quality and marketing practices of commercial foods for infants and toddlers in Australia. Government leadership is necessary to protect and promote the health of our children. This must include comprehensive reforms that lead to mandatory regulation of commercially available foods for infants and toddlers to ensure all products meet the highest possible standards.

 

Alexandra Chung currently holds a VicHealth Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Dr Chung’s research is integral to monitoring the Commercial Determinants of Children’s diets and their impact on children’s health. Her views may not reflect the position of VicHealth.  

Posted by Susan Maury (@SusanMaury)