Are the Nutrient and Textural Properties of Australian Commercial Infant and Toddler Foods Consistent with Infant Feeding Advice?

Abstract

Objectives Australian Infant Feeding Guidelines recommend first foods be iron rich with no added sugars and that nutrient poor discretionary foods be avoided. They also encourage exposing infants to a variety of foods and flavours with increasingly complex textures. Here, we compare nutritional and textural properties of commercially available infant and toddler foods with established guidelines. Methods Infant and toddler food products available as of August 2019 were identified by searching for ‘baby food’ on retailer websites and by location in the ‘baby food’ section of major supermarket chains (Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and Foodland) in Adelaide, South Australia. Manufacturer websites were cross checked to identify all available products. Nutrient composition of foods was obtained from the nutrient information panel on the product label, manufacturer or retailer websites. In total, 446 products from 17 brands were reviewed, which accounted for over 90% of the market share. Results Most products were poor sources of iron, and 80% of first foods were fruit-based. Half of all products were purees in squeeze pouches and one third of all products were discretionary foods. The nutritional content of many products was inconsistent with guidelines, being low in iron, sweet, smooth in consistency, or classified as discretionary. Conclusions Reformulation of products is warranted to improve iron content, particularly in mixed main dishes, expand the range of vegetable only foods, and textural variety. Greater regulatory oversight and front of package labelling are needed to better inform parents and caregivers. Frequent consumption of commercial baby foods low in iron may increase risk of iron deficiency. Excessive consumption of purees via squeeze pouches may also have implications for overweight and obesity risk. Funding Sources There are no funding sources to declare for this research.

Low allergen content of commercial baby foods

“…Regular inclusion of cows milk, wheat, hen's egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame and lupin containing foods make important contributions to infant nutrition, including contributing to diet diversity which has been linked to improved future health outcomes, including reduced allergic diseases 17 . While several reviews have focussed on nutritional, textural and flavour analysis of weaning foods in Australia, 18 the UK 19 and in the USA, 20 we are not aware of any other systematic analysis of the allergen content of weaning foods. The recent review of the nutritional content of UK weaning foods included an ingredient listing, surveillance of which indicates that weaning foods available in the UK are also low in common allergens 19…”

Commercial complementary food in Germany: a market survey

“…Pouches, which made up the largest group in the snack category, were not listed in the 2000 market survey in Germany (16). Pouches are criticized for their ingredients and texture (20) and are suspected to promote caries (21). As in Australia (20), pouches were mainly declared to older children aged 6 months on up.…”

“…Pouches are criticized for their ingredients and texture (20) and are suspected to promote caries (21). As in Australia (20), pouches were mainly declared to older children aged 6 months on up. However, during this age infants should be gradually accustomed to lumpy or solid foods (22,23).…”

Is the low pH of infant and toddler foods a concern?

“…We further base our observation of increased intake of infant foods on the basis of increased infant food sales, particularly pouches, of which the majority of these products (over 60%) contains fruit. [9][10][11] Reports also indicated an increase in the incidence of EoE and GORD alongside an increase in the sales of infant/toddler foods. [12][13][14] A pH of <4 within the esophagus, as well as environmental factors, may cause epithelial injury.…”

“…We measured the pH of foods that form part of the infant and toddler diet in Australia; however, these foods are available on an international level. 10 We measured the pH of commercially available infant/ toddler foods; pouches, infant/toddler jars and infant formula and compared to home-made foods (Tables S1-S5). We considered a pH of <4 to be markedly acidic (for reference the pH of coke = 2.64 and cow's milk 5.59) and a pH > 4, but <5 to be mildly acidic.…”