Push for better standards for toddler and infant food

South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton is leading a push for an overhaul of commercial foods for toddlers and infants – with some products found to have more sugar than chocolate bars.

Mr Picton says nationwide reform and regulation of the industry is urgently needed for better labelling, marketing and ingredients to help parents make more informed choices about what they feed their young children.

Consumption of commercial foods for infants and toddlers has increased in recent years and is becoming more common as parents and caregivers see these as convenient, economical and healthy options.

The commercial food market for infants and young children has grown significantly, yet the nutritional quality of most of these commercial foods does not support optimal growth and development for this age group. The texture of many infant foods also does not support optimal developmental feeding behaviours.

Many products have been found to be high in energy and sugars (often due to the inclusion of apple or pear purees), are highly-processed and do not provide adequate nutrients critical for early development, such as iron.

Some examples are:

• A tuna and vegetable puree which contains only 5 per cent tuna
• A fruit strip product that contains nearly 80 per cent sugar – more than chocolate bars
• A berry yoghurt product containing almost 60 per cent sugar – more than chocolate bars
• Rice vegetable rusks that contain less than 1 per cent of any vegetable
• A spinach, apple, broccoli and pea pouch containing only 4 per cent spinach yet it’s the first named ingredient in the title
• Yoghurt muesli bars which contain 46 per cent sugar – more than chocolate bars

The Malinauskas Labor Government wants to ensure naming, labelling and marketing of foods is helpful for parents and does not mislead, especially as many consumers are time-pressed and often rely on the name of a product rather than reviewing the ingredient list and nutrition information.

The first 2,000 days are critical for a child’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Early nutrition can have long-term effects on later-in-life health and disease outcomes.

Australian Infant Feeding Guidelines state that ‘consumption of nutrient-poor foods with high levels of fat/saturated fat, sugar, and/or salt should be avoided or limited’ and that no sugars should be added to food for children under 12 months of age.

Yet these are common ingredients in foods marketed for infants and young children.

Many commercial foods for toddlers and infants contain high levels of added sugars, which can drive poor dietary habits and increase the risk of obesity and dental issues later in life.

A recent meeting of Australian and New Zealand Food Ministers requested the development of options to improve the composition, labelling and texture of commercially-available foods for infants and young children to ensure they meet Australian and New Zealand infant and toddler feeding guidelines.

The review is considering improvements to current food and marketing laws and whether voluntary codes, regulatory approaches, or a combination of both, are required.

Ministers also agreed that the next target area for tighter regulation and reform would be toddler milk.

The Federal Department for Health and Aged Care has released a consultation paper seeking feedback on policy options for improving commercial foods for infants and young children. Consultation closes on Friday.

Quotes

Attributable to Chris Picton

Our kids need the best start in life and their diet is a crucial aspect of that in the early years.

Most of the baby foods that are available for purchase contain highly processed ingredients, and high levels of salt, sugar and fat. Some are more than 60 per cent sugar.

As a parent myself I know it can be challenging to fully read all the information on labels when also managing a toddler or two. I want to ensure we have the right settings so time-pressed parents can make informed decisions based on clear and accurate product labelling.

Attributable to Juliet Bociulis, Chief Public Health Nutritionist, Preventive Health SA

There has been a significant growth in the market for commercial foods aimed at infants and young children, particularly high energy, low nutrient snack foods.

Despite carrying claims on their packaging, many commercial infant and toddler foods are high in sugar, sodium, and do not contain important nutrients for development such as iron. The misleading labelling and marketing of these products means parents and caregivers are not supported to make informed choices.

Many commercial infant and toddler foods do not support developmental progression in feeding because of their texture. The texture of foods that are presented to infants should be suited to their developmental stage, moving from pureed to lumpy to normal textures during the 6-12 month age period.

Attributable to Dr Merryn Netting, Paediatric Dietitian and Research Fellow, Women and Kids, SAHMRI

The first 24 months of life is a period requiring a high intake of energy and nutrients that exceeds any other life stage.

Infant feeding guidelines worldwide recommend that first foods are nutrient dense, rich in iron, and with no added sugars and that nutrient-poor discretionary foods be avoided. Feeding guidelines also recommend exposing infants to a variety of foods and flavours with increasingly complex textures.

Most foods currently on the market do not meet these guidelines, instead they are sweet, smooth, and poor sources of iron.

Attributable to AMA(SA) President Dr John Williams

The Australian Medical Association in South Australia is calling for comprehensive reform to ensure food being sold for infants and young children meets the best global standards.

Right now, many commercial foods for infants and young children fail to support optimal health, growth and development. These products do not meet international best practice for nutritional content and fall short of international standards for labelling and promotion.

Parents should be able to trust that food they buy for their kids is supporting their health, growth and nutrition, and is labelled and marketed responsibly. That’s why we’re calling for proper government regulation at the national level.

Comprehensive changes are needed to the composition, texture and labelling of commercial baby foods. These changes must be mandatory and compliance must be strictly monitored and enforced.