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SA Government leads the charge for higher standards of infant and toddler food
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Freya Lucas
Sep 18, 2024
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The South Australian Government is calling for an overhaul of commercial foods for toddlers and infants after finding that some of the products targeted to this market have more sugar than chocolate bars.
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.Given that the first 24 months of life is a period requiring a high intake of energy and nutrients that exceeds any other life stage, the Government would like to see more attention paid to the contents of such products.
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), to be highly-processed and to not provide adequate nutrients critical for early development, such as iron.
Some examples are:
- A tuna and vegetable puree which contains only five 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 despite being the first named ingredient in the title
- Yoghurt muesli bars which contain 46 per cent sugar – more than chocolate bars
“Our kids need the best start in life and their diet is a crucial aspect of that in the early years,” South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton said.
“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.”
The Minister is calling for nationwide reform and regulation of the industry, saying such measures are urgently needed to help parents make more informed choices about what they feed their young children.
Specifically, the South Australian government would like to ensure naming, labelling and marketing of foods is helpful for parents and does not mislead.
“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,” Juliet Bociulis, Chief Public Health Nutritionist, Preventive Health SA said.
“The misleading labelling and marketing of these products means parents and caregivers are not supported to make informed choices.”
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.
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