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Shocking Study Finds Australia’s Food Being Sold to Children Fails to Meet WHO Standards
Shocking Study Finds Australia’s Food Being Sold to Children Fails to Meet WHO Standards
Sputnik International
A new study has found that most baby and toddler foods being sold in Australian supermarkets fail to meet health standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
2024-08-13T05:25+0000
2024-08-13T05:25+0000
2024-08-13T05:25+0000
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A new study has found that most baby and toddler foods being sold in Australian supermarkets fail to meet health standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO).Research led by the George Institute for Global Health found that more than three-quarters of products being sold for children’s consumption failed overall nutritional requirements, while all items being sold failed to meet “promotional requirements”, a British news source wrote, citing the recent study.The study looked at more than 300 foods being offered to children ages six-months-old to three-years-old in Australian supermarkets and compared the children’s food to the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s nutrient and promotion profile model.Only about a fifth of the products (22%) that they studied met all criteria for nutrient consumption with high sugar content being the main culprit.Because children will prefer foods that are sweet, manufacturers will add sweeteners to a range of products in the hopes of influencing more purchases in the future, said Dr. Daisy Coyle, a dietitian and author of the paper. But this proposes a problem for how the child will eat as an adult because "kids are developing taste and food preferences that set them up for life,” she added.The study also found that none of the products being sold met their “promotional requirements” meaning foods which had at least one or more claim on its packaging prohibited under the WHO model including: “free from colors and flavors”, “organic” and “no added sugar”. Foods with promotional claims related to allergies, religious claims and vegetarian/vegan claims are permissible.The researchers also found one in three products to be deceiving with the name of the product not matching that of its ingredient list. If a product is called “broccoli, spinach and apple” parents grocery shopping may assume it's an equal blend when in fact it is made up of 70% apple puree which has significantly more sugar than either broccoli or spinach."We'd want to see a more comprehensive approach to addressing key drivers of chronic disease from infancy… the long-term health of future generations depends on it."About 20% of children aged 5 to 17 were overweight or obese in 1995. In 2022-23 that rate increased to nearly 28% for the same age group, according to the Obesity Evidence Hub.The study was based on the George Institute FoodSwitch database, and looked at nearly 400 products in the infant and toddler food category in that database. Eighty-six of the products were infant formula and were excluded from analysis.
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Shocking Study Finds Australia’s Food Being Sold to Children Fails to Meet WHO Standards
The study comes after a meeting between Australian and New Zealand food ministers in July who decided to launch a probe into commercial foods for infants and children following a sharp increase in obesity-related diseases.
A new
study has found that most baby and toddler foods being sold in Australian supermarkets fail to meet health standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Research led by the George Institute for Global Health found that more than three-quarters of products being sold for children’s consumption failed overall nutritional requirements, while all items being sold failed to meet “promotional requirements”, a British
news source wrote, citing the recent study.
“These findings should serve as an alarm bell for policymakers in Australia,” the researchers warned.
The study looked at more than 300 foods being offered to children ages six-months-old to three-years-old in Australian supermarkets and compared the children’s food to the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s nutrient and promotion profile model.
Only about a fifth of the products (22%) that they studied met all criteria for nutrient consumption with high sugar content being the main culprit.
Because children will prefer foods that are sweet, manufacturers will add sweeteners to a range of products in the hopes of influencing more purchases in the future, said Dr. Daisy Coyle, a dietitian and author of the paper. But this proposes a problem for how the child will eat as an adult because "kids are developing taste and food preferences that set them up for life,” she added.
The study also found that none of the products being sold met their “promotional requirements” meaning foods which had at least one or more claim on its packaging prohibited under the WHO model including: “free from colors and flavors”, “organic” and “no added sugar”. Foods with promotional claims related to allergies, religious claims and vegetarian/vegan claims are permissible.
The researchers also found one in three products to be deceiving with the name of the product not matching that of its ingredient list. If a product is called “broccoli, spinach and apple” parents grocery shopping may assume it's an equal blend when in fact it is made up of 70% apple puree which has significantly more sugar than either broccoli or spinach.
"We know these claims and messages influence what parents buy for infants and toddlers in the critical early years… the food industry is essentially setting the foundations for unhealthy eating later in life and this situation urgently requires regulation," said Coyle.
"We'd want to see a more comprehensive approach to addressing key drivers of chronic disease from infancy… the long-term health of future generations depends on it."
About 20% of children aged 5 to 17 were overweight or obese in 1995. In 2022-23 that rate increased to nearly 28% for the same age group, according to the
Obesity Evidence Hub.
The study was based on the George Institute FoodSwitch database, and looked at nearly 400 products in the infant and toddler food category in that database. Eighty-six of the products were infant formula and were excluded from analysis.
