Monash University researchers have found ready-made foods for infants and toddlers in Australian supermarkets fall dismally short of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) nutrient, labelling and marketing requirements.
In 2023, commercial baby food sales in Australia – including prepared baby food, cereals and snacks – generated over $370 million in revenue. Lead author, Dr Alexandra Chung, said one in two Australian children under five years old consumed commercial infant and toddler foods one or more days per week.
“At the same time, commercial infant and toddler foods represent a growing segment of the grocery market, with increasing numbers of new products launched onto the market,” said Chung.
Assessing 45 products available in major supermarkets and specifically promoted as suitable for infants and toddlers 6-36 months, the study found that only 23 per cent met all nutritional requirements as outlined by the WHO’s Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (NPPM). Of particular concern, 43 per cent of products exceeded recommended limits for sugar.
These results support a larger study published in August by The George Institute for Global Health, which assessed 309 products, and found 22 per cent met nutrient criteria. However, the larger sample size showed a slightly lower percentage of products with excessive sugar, at 38 per cent.
Published in Public Health Nutrition, the Monash study also found that none of the 45 products assessed met all of the labelling or promotional requirements as outlined by the WHO – and all products assessed included at least one promotional marketing claim that was not permitted under the guidelines.
The marketing claims give parents the perception that these products are healthy, when in fact they are often high in sugar, and do not offer the variety of textures and flavours that children need. This research is critical as dietary patterns developed in infancy have been shown to persist into childhood and contribute to socio-economic inequalities in excess weight among children, and unhealthy diets are a leading risk factor for disease.
In Australia, compositional and labelling requirements of foods are regulated by The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The standard for foods for infants outlines limits on sugar and sodium, and minimum iron content in cereal-based foods, as well as labelling requirements, including age recommendations and vitamin and mineral content claims.
However, many of the claims commonly made on infant and toddler foods are not regulated under the Food Standards Code, according to Chung.
“This includes claims that make appeals to health and promote the product as ideal for young child feeding such as ‘natural’, ‘organic’, ‘no nasties’, ‘no preservatives’ and ‘for tiny hands',” she said.
“There is a distinct gap in the current regulation of commercial foods for infants and toddlers that allows manufacturers to influence children’s diets through the promotion of these products.”
This study is timely given the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care recently held a public consultation on improving commercial foods for infants and young children, with submissions closing in September. Responses will be used by the Food Regulation Standing Committee to make a recommendation at the next Food Ministers' Meeting, on 15 November.
According to Chung, this consultation “presents an important opportunity for the government to implement comprehensive, mandatory regulation that improves the composition, and ensures accurate labelling and honest promotion of commercial foods to protect the health of Australia’s youngest children”.
