Cluttered with claims: Composition, nutrition, health and marketing claims on commercial infant and toddler foods in New Zealand.

IF 3.2 4区医学 Q3 NUTRITION & DIETETICS

Nutrition & Dietetics Pub Date : 2025-08-26 DOI:10.1111/1747-0080.70042

Sally Mackay, Berit Follong, Baylee Wilde, Maria Ferreria, Maree Scully

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim: The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe's Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model recommends that commercial infant and toddler foods do not carry compositional, nutrition, health, or marketing claims. Our objective was to identify on-pack claims displayed on commercial foods for infants and toddlers in New Zealand.

Method: The packaging of products intended for infants (aged up to 11 months) and toddlers (ages 12 months to <36 months) was analyzed for the presence of claims using a coding structure based on categories outlined by the World Health Organization Europe Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model. Descriptive statistics were conducted to analyze the frequency of types of claims. Relevant infant and toddler products available in New Zealand supermarkets were identified through a packaged food database of products collected in 2023.

Results: Two hundred and ten products were identified: 167 infant and 43 toddler products. On average, there were 7.5 unique claims per product (range 3-15), with composition and nutrition claims being the most common (mean 4.0 per product), followed by marketing (3.3) and health claims (0.2). Composition and nutrition claims relating to the absence of ingredients generally perceived to be harmful (i.e. 'free from' claims) were prevalent on 97% of products and most commonly referred to flavors (on 72% of products) and colors (71%).

Conclusions: All New Zealand infant and toddler products carried multiple claims. Regulation is needed to align with international best practice and prevent caregivers from being potentially misled by these promotional messages when making purchasing decisions for young children.

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杂乱的声明：新西兰商业婴幼儿食品的成分、营养、健康和营销声明。

目的：世界卫生组织欧洲区域办事处的营养和促进概况模型建议，商业婴幼儿食品不携带成分、营养、健康或营销声明。我们的目标是确定在包装上显示在婴幼儿商业食品在新西兰。方法：用于婴儿（11个月以下）和幼儿（12个月至）的产品包装结果：确定了210种产品：167种婴儿产品和43种幼儿产品。平均每个产品有7.5个独特的声明（范围3-15），其中成分和营养声明是最常见的（平均每个产品4.0个），其次是营销（3.3个）和健康声明（0.2个）。与不含一般认为有害成分（即有害成分）有关的成分和营养声明。“不含”声明在97%的产品上普遍存在，最常提到的是口味（72%的产品）和颜色（71%）。结论：所有新西兰婴幼儿产品都有多种声明。需要制定法规，与国际最佳做法保持一致，防止照料者在为幼儿作出购买决定时被这些宣传信息误导。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nutrition & Dietetics 医学-营养学

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

16.10%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Nutrition & Dietetics is the official journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia. Covering all aspects of food, nutrition and dietetics, the Journal provides a forum for the reporting, discussion and development of scientifically credible knowledge related to human nutrition and dietetics. Widely respected in Australia and around the world, Nutrition & Dietetics publishes original research, methodology analyses, research reviews and much more. The Journal aims to keep health professionals abreast of current knowledge on human nutrition and diet, and accepts contributions from around the world.