When it comes to baby food, it is important to be careful about the nutritional values, as a small fraction can make a huge difference. Recently, a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) says that baby food often contains too much sugar and is incorrectly advertised as suitable for infants less than 6 months of age.
At least half of products analysed in three of four cities provided more than 30% of their calories from sugars, according to the study. About a third of them listed sugar, concentrated fruit juice or other sweeteners as an ingredient.
It has also been observed that this imbalance later results in risk for obesity and diabetes among young children to a lifelong preference for sweet foods. In the report, WHO has recommended that babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives.
In addition, the WHO study showed that as much as 60% of baby food products were being advertised as suitable for infants.
The WHO collected data on 7,955 food or drink products marketed for infants and young children from 516 stores in Vienna, Sofia, Budapest and Haifa, Israel between November 2017 and January 2018.
While the report didn’t target any particular brand, but has surely raised a question against the authenticity of baby food brands and their marketing strategies.
Start a Conversation
Post comment