The Nutritional Profile of Baby and Toddler Food Products Sold in Australian Supermarkets
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The Nutritional Profile of Baby and Toddler Food Products Sold in Australian Supermarkets E. Dunford1 • J. C. Y. Louie2 • R. Byrne3 • K. Z. Walker4 • V. M. Flood5,6
Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract Background/Aims To examine the nutritional profile of baby and toddler foods sold in Australia. Methods Nutrient information for baby and toddler foods available at Australian supermarkets was collected between Auguset and December 2013. Levels of declared energy, total fat, saturated fat, total sugar, sodium and estimated added sugar were examined, as well as the presence of additional micronutrients on the label. The Health Star Rating (HSR) system was used to determine nutritional quality. The range of products on offer was also examined by product type and by the age category for which the product was marketed. Results Of the 309 products included, 29 % were fortified. On a per 100 g basis, these 309 products provided a
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10995-015-1778-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. & E. Dunford [email protected] 1
2
The George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Faculty of Science, School of Molecular Bioscience and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
3
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
4
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
5
Faculty of Health Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
6
St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, Australia
mean (±SD) of 476 ± 486 kJ, 1.6 ± 2.4 g total fat, 10.7 ± 12.2 g total sugar, 2.7 ± 7.4 g added sugar, and 33.5 ± 66.5 mg sodium. Fruit-based products or products with fruit listed as an ingredient (58 %) were the predominant product type. On the nutrition label, 42 % displayed at least one additional micronutrient while 37 % did not display saturated fat. The most common HSR was four stars (45 %) and 6? months was the most commonly identified targeted age group (36 %). Conclusions The majority of baby and toddler foods sold in Australian supermarkets are ready-made fruit-based products aimed at children under 12 months of age. Baby and toddler foods are overlooked in public policy discussions pertaining to population nutrient intake but their relatively high sugar content deriving from fruits requires close attention to ensure these foods do not replace other more nutrient dense foods, given children have an innate preference for sweet tastes. Keywords Children Food and nutrition Public health Weaning foods Nutritional profile Infant
Significance This study is the first paper to examine baby and infant food products available in Australian supermarkets and provides an important benchmark from which to monitor nutritional changes in this sector. We found that the majority of baby foods available for purc
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