Childhood nutrition has been thrust into the spotlight, with negative stories in the media often overstating the positive. For example, concerns about over-processing of children’s foods continue to grow, with another Nestlé baby food scandal coming to light earlier this year. But the focus is now shifting to the nutritional content of children’s foods, which critics claim is seriously lacking.
“Undernutrition is a universal problem that stunts development and has devastating consequences for all nations. It has a devastating impact on children – it stunts intelligence, reduces productivity and perpetuates poverty,” said a UNICEF spokesperson. “UNICEF and the European Union are committed to scaling up and sustaining our efforts to reach more children.”
But UNICEF also notes that childhood nutrition remains low on most European national agendas and is under-resourced.
“Children in the UK are now shorter and more likely to be obese and have type 2 diabetes,” a report by the UK’s The Food Foundation has revealed, revealing a significant decline in children’s health. This has led campaigners including celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, politician Gordon Brown and public health professor Michael Marmot to join The Food Foundation in calling on the UK’s new Labour government to urgently address the decline in children’s health.
So why is the health of children in Europe so poor, and is their diet nutritionally deficient?
Is the food that children eat nutritionally deficient?
While many consumers are ready to blame manufacturers for skimping on nutrients, the industry vehemently denies such claims.
“Children’s food is tightly regulated to ensure its safety and quality,” Tim Collins, managing director of children’s food brand Ella’s Kitchen, told FoodNavigator. “The safety of little ones is our top priority and we take our responsibilities seriously, setting strict nutritional guidelines that go beyond industry requirements. We’re just launching new first-time food products that contain 10% less sugar than our range average and have been reformulated to reduce saturated fat and sugar.”
But do consumers believe food manufacturers’ claims? Apparently not.
According to the latest report by the EIT Food Consumer Observatory, less than half of consumers asked (46%) said they trust food producers, while 27% actively distrust them. This distrust is reflected in all aspects of food production, including health claims, with 44% believing that the food they consume is healthy. As a result, consumers are less likely to believe health and nutrition claims on food packaging, and this particularly extends to foods made for children.
This lack of trust worries children’s food manufacturers.
“Our concern is that if parents are pushed out of the kids’ aisle, little ones will eat snacks that are not age-appropriate, are not tightly regulated, and contain much more fat, salt, and sugar. Kids’ products should continue to offer a healthier alternative,” Collins adds.
There is also the issue of children’s ability to eat foods that are not formulated appropriately for their age, particularly in terms of hardness and texture.
“We did research that showed 53% of parents are not aware of the importance of texture,” Mandy Bobrowski, Organix’s chief marketing officer, told FoodNavigator.
So how can food manufacturers encourage parents and caregivers to continue purchasing foods for children?
Encouraging parents to purchase formulated foods for children
Experts agree that addressing the key concerns of parents and caregivers is the best way to encourage them to buy, and in this case, encouraging substantiated health claims and highlighting the regulations that apply to the industry will help.
“The industry needs to focus on developing delicious products that are value for money and deliver healthy results,” says Collins of Ella’s Kitchen.
Why are children in Europe malnourished?
The understanding that foods formulated specifically for children are not the cause of the decline in childhood nutrition leads to the conclusion that children are not getting the right nutrients from the other foods they consume as part of their diet. Furthermore, there are many children who do not eat any foods formulated specifically for children, making it even more important to consume essential nutrients in the form of fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, etc.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 78.8% of children eat breakfast, which is generally considered the most important meal of the day. Additionally, only 42.5% consume fresh fruit and 22.6% consume fresh vegetables every day.
“Urgent action is needed to promote healthy eating habits in children in all countries in the European Region, especially by increasing daily consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables,” said a WHO spokesperson.
What can be done to strengthen nutrition in childhood?
In response to falling childhood nutrition, the World Health Organization has outlined an action plan for countries in Europe and around the world.
- Regulate the marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks to children.
- Implementation of WHO recommended labelling guidelines for nutrition manufacturers.
- Encourage reformulation of foods high in sugar, fat and salt.
- Introduce fiscal incentives, such as a tax on sugary drinks.
- Facilitate access to healthy and nutritious food in schools, other public institutions, and underserved communities through the implementation of healthy public food supply and service policies.
- Support initiatives to monitor children’s dietary habits, anthropometric measurements and food environments to monitor policy impacts.