According to a study by the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), Australian families mistakenly believe that ready-made baby foods are in the dark and the majority are strictly regulated.
“It turns out that most parents believe that there is a law on what can be put into ready-made foods for infants to ensure that these products are healthy,” pediatrics said. Dr. Ansia Rhodes, director of medical and polling, said: release..
“In fact, this is not the case in Australia. There are limited restrictions on these products for infants and there are no specific restrictions on products for infants.”
For example, if the Australian Government updates the labeling requirements, many products will only be required to voluntarily display the labeling of the country of origin from July 2018.
Although the product is stated to be made in Australia, there is currently little transparency as to how much of what is contained in the product is actually locally sourced.
A study of 1,023 parents of children under the age of 5 by RCH found that 1 in 5 eats off-the-shelf foods most days, and 1 in 3 eats these at least once a week. I found out that I was eating food.
Many parents easily misunderstand that they are a healthy choice for their baby because they are sold as natural and healthy.
“We found that 73% of parents believe that ready-made baby foods provide good nutrition for their children, which is a real concern,” Rhodes said.
“These foods often contain high levels of harmful sugars that affect a child’s taste preferences and risk increased sugar intake. This is tooth decay, unhealthy weight. It can increase and cause other health problems. “
Jane Martin, executive manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition, added that she wanted to see greater restrictions on baby food labeling and promotion to help parents make informed choices.
“Currently, the makers of our youngest consumer products are ridiculous, selling ready-made foods for babies and toddlers as nutritious when many are far from it. I’m a parent, “Martin said.
“Government measures are needed to prevent companies from using potentially misleading labels and promotions while limiting the harmful sugar and other ingredients that are often added to these foods.”
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Jessie Zhang is a Sydney-based reporter with Australian news and a focus on health and the environment. Contact her at [email protected]