The study, supported by UNICEF and partners from the Southeast Asia Complementary Foods Improvement Consortium (COMMIT), evaluated more than 1,600 infant cereals, purees, pouches, snacks and ready-to-eat foods marketed to young children in Cambodia and Indonesia. did. , Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. We also looked at consumer behavior and existing regulations in seven countries.
Almost half (44%) of the products surveyed had added sugar or sweeteners. For snacks and finger foods, this percentage rose to 72%. When it comes to sodium, more than a third of the products surveyed contained more sodium than recommended.
Almost 90% of product labels investigated contained misleading or deceptive claims about their ingredients.
“Many of the foods marketed to the youngest girls and boys are unhealthy and labeled in ways that mislead parents,” said Deborah Comini, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific. “Children and their parents deserve better.”
Commercially produced complementary foods are a common part of infant diets in Southeast Asia, with 79 percent of mothers living in urban centers reporting feeding these foods to their infants daily. Across Southeast Asia, sales of commercially available complementary foods have increased by 45% over the past five years.
