English
Parents of newborns and infants are being warned to watch out as many baby foods in the Australian market do not fulfil the World Health Organisation standard.
New research by the George Institute for Global Health has revealed an alarming number of unregulated claims in baby food products across the country that mislead parents into believing these often sugar-loaded products are healthy.
It found 78 per cent failed to meet the WHO nutrition standards, and all products failed to meet the WHO standards for marketing and promotion, mainly due to the high use of claims.
Dr Daisy Coyle, dietitian and Research Fellow at The George Institute, describes the situation as disappointing.
“At the moment, it really is the wild west out there. There are so many issues that were raised from this research. One of the biggest issues that we found was, in regards to the sugar content of these products. More than half failed to meet the World Health Organization standards for sugar content, appropriate for these foods. So that's something that we really need to fix. There's also lots of issues around use of product names actually reflecting the ingredients, and around the type and the number of claims that are allowed on packs.”
The research is based on data from 309 infant and toddler food products, assessed against the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model, published in 2022 and considered a 'gold standard' benchmark.
George Institute researchers found that only 22 per cent passed all WHO nutrient composition standards.
The majority has failed on sugar and calorie content, and none met the ‘no prohibited claims’ requirement of claims like ‘free from colours and flavours’, ‘organic’ and ‘no added sugar’.
Squeeze pouches - the most popular infant and toddler food market in Australia - featured the highest use of prohibited claims, and only half met the WHO's total sugar requirements.
Dr Elizabeth Dunford is the lead author of the research.
"We found that most baby foods in Australia contain the high level of claims. We found, on average, about six or seven claims on every product, with some products having up to 21 claims on a single package. So really leading to some misleading and deceptive tactics and really confusing parents that are out there trying to buy foods. And I’ll say, for example, I am a mother of two young children, and even I, as an expert in this area, find a find it very difficult to navigate this area, considering the number of claims that these products have on packs."
Dr Dunford says the use of false health and nutrition content claims and wellness messaging on these foods can influence what parents buy for their infants and toddlers in the critical early years.
She says a lot of time-pressed parents rely on these products as a good source of nutrition which could determine the health trajectory of their children.
"So we know based on research that children's taste preferences start as young as two years of age, and so children innately have a taste preference for sweet or salty food. And so you can imagine that some of these products, especially the ones with a lot of added sugar or added salt, really can shape a child's dietary habits and make them really want that salty and sugary foods later in life. And so, hopefully, by putting research out like this, we can encourage the government to put some regulations in this space, so that children are less exposed to these types of products."
Executive Manager of Food for Health Alliance Jane Martin says the findings are worrying.
"It can be hard for parents to know whether foods are healthy or not. So making these changes recommended by the WHO of removing the claims on the packaging, having accurate labeling, reducing the amount of sugars and sodium in these foods, would really help parents to purchase healthier products for their babies and toddlers."
Dr Coyle says a more comprehensive approach to addressing key drivers of chronic disease from infancy is crucial as the long-term health of future generations depends on it.
"The good news is that the government is looking to do something about this. The food ministers have just opened a consultation to the public to get perspectives on what should be the next steps for this sector. And what we're pushing for as a public health group and with other public health advocates is that we need to see mandatory regulation for these products, so that hopefully all products sold and marketed are actually healthy and appropriate for this age group, which is not what we're seeing right now."
The researchers say given sugar's links to obesity and related ailments including diabetes, heart disease and cancers, policy-makers should set limits on how much could be included in such products.
They say other regulatory alternatives include limiting the number of claims that can be made about each product.
The paper follows a meeting of Australian and New Zealand's food ministers in July, which launched a public consultation to improve commercial foods for newborns and children following a surge in chronic obesity-related diseases.
The federal government says its goal is to improve the composition, labelling and texture of foods for infants and young children to better align their diets with Australian and New Zealand infant and toddler feeding guidelines and to meet the expectations of parents, guardians, and carers.
Italian
Italiano
I genitori di neonati e bambini sono stati avvertiti di fare attenzione perché molti alimenti per l'infanzia presenti sul mercato australiano non soddisfano gli standard dell'Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità.
Una nuova ricerca del George Institute for Global Health ha rivelato un numero allarmante di indicazioni non regolamentate sui prodotti per l'infanzia in tutto il Paese, che inducono i genitori a credere che questi prodotti, spesso carichi di zuccheri, siano sani.
È emerso che il 78% non soddisfa gli standard nutrizionali dell’OMS e che nessun prodotto soddisfa gli standard dell'OMS per il marketing e la promozione, soprattutto a causa dell'elevato uso di affermazioni sui pacchetti.
La dottoressa Daisy Coyle, dietista e ricercatrice presso il George Institute, descrive la situazione come deludente.
“At the moment, it really is the wild west out there. There are so many issues that were raised from this research. One of the biggest issues that we found was, in regards to the sugar content of these products. More than half failed to meet the World Health Organization standards for sugar content, appropriate for these foods. So that's something that we really need to fix. There's also lots of issues around use of product names actually reflecting the ingredients, and around the type and the number of claims that are allowed on packs.”
La ricerca si basa sui dati di 309 prodotti alimentari per neonati e bambini, valutati in base al modello di profilo nutrizionale e promozionale dell'Ufficio regionale dell'OMS per l'Europa, pubblicato nel 2022 e considerato un punto di riferimento “gold standard”.
I ricercatori del George Institute hanno scoperto che solo il 22% ha superato tutti gli standard di composizione dei nutrienti dell'OMS.
La maggior parte non è riuscita a rispettare il contenuto di zuccheri e calorie, mentre nessuno ha soddisfatto il requisito di “assenza di affermazioni vietate”, come “senza coloranti e aromi”, “biologico” e “senza zuccheri aggiunti”.
I sacchetti – la fetta di mercato degli alimenti per lattanti e bambini più grande in Australia - sono quelli che hanno registrato il maggior numero di affermazioni vietate, e solo la metà ha soddisfatto i requisiti dell'OMS in materia di zuccheri totali.
La dottoressa Elizabeth Dunford è l'autrice principale della ricerca.
"We found that most baby foods in Australia contain the high level of claims. We found, on average, about six or seven claims on every product, with some products having up to 21 claims on a single package. So really leading to some misleading and deceptive tactics and really confusing parents that are out there trying to buy foods. And I’ll say, for example, I am a mother of two young children, and even I, as an expert in this area, find a find it very difficult to navigate this area, considering the number of claims that these products have on packs."
La dottoressa Dunford afferma che l'uso di false affermazioni sulla salute e sui contenuti nutrizionali e di messaggi sul benessere su questi alimenti può influenzare ciò che i genitori acquistano per i loro neonati e bambini nei primi anni di vita.
Secondo la dottoressa, molti genitori con poco tempo a disposizione si affidano a questi prodotti come a una buona fonte di nutrimento che potrebbe determinare la traiettoria di salute dei loro figli.
"So we know based on research that children's taste preferences start as young as two years of age, and so children innately have a taste preference for sweet or salty food. And so you can imagine that some of these products, especially the ones with a lot of added sugar or added salt, really can shape a child's dietary habits and make them really want that salty and sugary foods later in life. And so, hopefully, by putting research out like this, we can encourage the government to put some regulations in this space, so that children are less exposed to these types of products."
La direttrice esecutiva di Food for Health Alliance Jane Martin afferma che i risultati sono preoccupanti.
"It can be hard for parents to know whether foods are healthy or not. So making these changes recommended by the WHO of removing the claims on the packaging, having accurate labeling, reducing the amount of sugars and sodium in these foods, would really help parents to purchase healthier products for their babies and toddlers."
Secondo la dottoressa Coyle, un approccio più completo per affrontare i fattori chiave delle malattie croniche fin dall'infanzia è fondamentale, poiché da esso dipende la salute a lungo termine delle generazioni future.
"The good news is that the government is looking to do something about this. The food ministers have just opened a consultation to the public to get perspectives on what should be the next steps for this sector. And what we're pushing for as a public health group and with other public health advocates is that we need to see mandatory regulation for these products, so that hopefully all products sold and marketed are actually healthy and appropriate for this age group, which is not what we're seeing right now."
I ricercatori sostengono che, dato il legame dello zucchero con l'obesità e i disturbi correlati, tra cui il diabete, le malattie cardiache e i tumori, la politica dovrebbe stabilire dei limiti alla quantità di zucchero che può essere inclusa in questi prodotti.
Secondo i ricercatori, una normativa alternativa potrebbe essere la limitazione del numero di indicazioni che possono essere elencate per ogni prodotto.
Il documento pubblicato dal George Institute for Global Health fa seguito a una riunione dei ministri dell'alimentazione australiani e neozelandesi tenutasi a luglio, che ha lanciato una consultazione pubblica per migliorare gli alimenti in commercio per neonati e bambini a seguito dell'aumento delle malattie croniche legate all'obesità.
Il governo federale afferma che il suo obiettivo è quello di migliorare la composizione, l'etichettatura e la consistenza degli alimenti per neonati e bambini per allineare meglio la loro dieta alle linee guida australiane e neozelandesi sull'alimentazione dei neonati e dei bambini e per soddisfare le aspettative di genitori, tutori e assistenti.
