Background: There is growing international concern about the suitability and marketing of infant and toddler foods. To drive change in this area, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO Europe) has set out nutrient and promotional requirements for infant and toddler foods across different product categories. This study aimed to assess how infant and toddler foods in the Australian market compare to the WHO Europe recommendations. These data will be used to highlight the differences between the WHO Europe recommendations and existing Australian regulation and the discussion will explore how the Australian regulatory framework can be used to better protect infant and toddlers.
Methods: We conducted an audit of infant (4-12 months) and toddler (1-3 years) foods instore and online at three major Australian supermarket chains. Nutritional and ingredient information was recorded and analysed.
Results: Of the 330 products reviewed, 74% were marketed as suitable for infants. Twenty-eight percent of products met all nutrient composition standards applicable to their category. Infant products were more compliant than toddler products both overall (31% vs. 18%) and for specific requirements around energy density (63% vs. 40%), sodium content (89% vs. 75%), total fat content (99% vs. 91%) and containing no added sugars or sweeteners (75% vs. 55%). No products met all promotional standards applicable to their category, with 100% of products failing to meet the recommendation that foods for infants and toddlers do not carry nutritional, health or marketing claims.
Conclusion: Most Australian infant and toddler foods fail to meet international recommendations for nutritional composition, and none meet all recommendations for promotion. Existing Australian regulation does not protect toddlers and provides limited protection for infants. Higher standards should be set to ensure foods marketed and sold for infants and toddlers provide good nutrition and support a healthy start to life.
*Note: Data is being validated and an updated abstract will be provided if necessary once validation is complete.