Health leaders crackdown on SA baby foods filled with more sugar than chocolate bars
Baby foods labelled as “healthy” by companies when they contain more sugar than a chocolate bar are being targeted by SA health leaders.
SA News
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Food companies labelling infant and baby foods as “healthy” when they contain more sugar than a chocolate bar are being targeted in a national review and Health Minister Chris Picton is determined to crack down on the practice.
Mr Picton said health ministers called for the review after seeing shocking examples of low nutritional content in foods like a tuna and vegetable puree containing only five per cent tuna and rice vegetable rusks with only one per cent of any vegetables.
“We want to see stronger regulations for this, we (the State Government) are working to take action ourselves,” Mr Picton said as he joined health leaders in calling for strict regulations on an ever-growing commercial food market.
“Most of the baby foods that are available for purchase contain highly processed ingredients and high levels of salt, sugar and fat. Some are more than 60 per cent sugar.”
It’s a move welcomed by Torrensville mother Kydonia Canino.
Ms Canino thinks stronger labelling and rules on sugars, additives and preservatives are important for time poor parents, saying she recently bought a yoghurt pouch advertised as being strawberry but on closer inspection realised it contained no fruit, only flavouring.
“It’s very disappointing, we live in Australia, we are meant to have the best guidelines for this and we expect more,” Ms Canino, who has three children aged four, two and eight weeks, said.
“This is very important to me, I’ve always wanted to be a Mum and to give my children the best start in life… and I want to be able to make the best decisions.”
Dr Merryn Netting, a pediatric dietitian at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, said parents drawn to packaging that claims foods are organic, healthy or low in sugar need tougher guidelines revealing their true ingredients.
“Most foods currently on the market do not meet the texture vital for babies and toddlers to learn to eat solid foods and avoid a gag reflex, do not contain important iron or are unhealthily high in sugar,” Dr Netting said.
She has seen babies attend the research institute who regularly eat packed foods and are failing to develop important skills like eating textured food that helps prevent gagging and vomiting.
Others do not eat enough nutrients crucial for brain development.
Dr Netting’s concerns were backed by the Australian Medical Association SA with further calls for “comprehensive reform to ensure food being sold for infants and children meets the best global standards”.
AMA SA president Dr John Williams said many commercial foods for infants and young children “do not meet international best practice for nutritional content and fall short of international standards for labelling and promotion”.
“Comprehensive changes are needed to the composition, texture and labelling of commercial baby foods.
“These changes must be mandatory and compliance must be strictly monitored and enforced.”
Consultation on the Federal Department for Health and Aged Care review to consider improvements to food and marketing laws closes on Friday.
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