Benchmarking the nutrient composition and labelling practices of finger foods and snacks for older infants and young children across seven Southeast Asian countries

• Published in: Maternal and child nutrition 2023-12, Vol.19 (S2), p.e13598-n/a
• Main Authors: Pries, Alissa M., Bassetti, Eleonora, White, Jessica M., Mulder, Anzélle, Threapleton, Diane, Blankenship, Jessica
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Appropriateness; Babies; child public health; childhood diet; Children; Children & youth; complementary feeding; complementary foods; Confectionery; Diet; Food; Food consumption; Food products; Inappropriateness; infant and child nutrition; infant and young child feeding; Infants; Labeling; Labelling; Nutrient requirements; Nutrition; Older children; Profiles; Snack foods; Snacks; Sodium; Sugar; Supplement
• ISSN: 1740-8695; 1740-8709
• DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13598

Ensuring consumption of nutrient‐dense, safe and appropriate complementary foods among older infants and young children (IYC) 6–36 months of age is critical for enabling optimal growth and development. The ubiquitous availability of and high demand for commercially packaged snack foods has culminated in a growing trend of snack food products specifically produced and promoted for older IYC. Commercially produced complementary foods (CPCF) that are finger foods/snacks often contain added sugars, excessive sodium content and high total sugar content, making them inappropriate for this young population. This study benchmarked the nutrient composition and labelling practices of CPCF finger foods/snacks available for purchase in seven countries in Southeast Asia. The study adapted a nutrient profiling model from the WHO Regional Office for Europe to determine the proportion of products suitable for promotion for older IYC. Of the total 606 products identified, 8.2% were automatically categorized as not suitable because they were confectionery items. Of the remaining 556 products assessed, over 85% failed to meet all nutrient composition requirements, with the presence of added sugars/sweeteners and excessive sodium and total sugar contents the primary reasons for failure. Products also demonstrated concerning labelling practices, with all of the products (98.6%) displaying an inappropriate claim on the label. These findings reveal major concerns with the nutrient composition and labelling practices of CPCF finger foods/snacks in the SEA region and should serve as an alarm bell for regulatory action. National binding legal measures, such as mandatory standards for composition and labelling are urgently needed. This study benchmarked the nutrient composition and labelling practices of 556 commercially produced complementary food  finger foods/snacks available in seven countries in Southeast Asia. The majority failed to meet all nutrient composition requirements and none met all labelling practice requirements, primarily due to the presence of added sugars/sweeteners, excessive sodium and inappropriate claims on the label; these findings serve as an alarm bell for regulatory action. Key messages CPCF finger foods/snacks made up 18‐45% of CPCF products across the seven countries, indicating a normalization of commercially packaged, processed snacks products in older IYC diets. Over 85% of products failed to meet all nutrient composition requirements. Three‐quarters