An alarming new study released this week reveals that none of the baby or toddler foods available in Australian supermarkets meet World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
This finding has raised concerns about food safety and nutritional adequacy for young children in Australia.
Is there anything the Australian Government should be doing about it?
On today’s episode of The Briefing, we spoke with Daisy Coyle, an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Research Fellow at The George Institute.
She highlighted a significant gap in the quality of infant and toddler nutrition products.
Despite rigorous testing, Ms Coyle noted that not a single product examined met the WHO guidelines designed to ensure the health and safety of young children.
“My advice to parents regarding these products would be not to trust the claims on the packaging,” Ms Coyle said.
She mentioned that the information on the packages is “deceiving” and lacks details on the healthiness of the product.
The study’s revelations have also prompted a call for action from the Australian government.
“The good thing with the government is that they are seeing this work and responding to it,” she said.
With no current regulations enforcing WHO standards for baby and toddler foods, Ms Coyle advocates for regulatory changes to protect young consumers.
“We are sort of the ones uncovering the issues with these products before others around the world.”
Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on LiSTNR today. The Briefing serves up the latest news and deep dives on topics affecting you, all in under 20 minutes.