Excessive sugar, salt in baby food threaten SE Asia, including Vietnam: UNICEF study

A new study has revealed high sugar and salt contents in commercially produced packaged foods marketed for children under three years old across seven Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, UNICEF said in a press release on Monday.

The study, which was sponsored by UNICEF and partners from the Consortium for Improving Complementary Foods in Southeast Asia (COMMIT), assessed more than 1,600 infant cereals, purées, pouches, snacks, and ready-to-eat meals marketed for young children in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

It also studied consumer behaviors and existing regulations in the seven countries. 

The results showed that 44 percent of the products studied included added sugars and sweeteners. Among snacks and finger foods, that number rose to 72 percent. 

When it came to salt content, more than one-third of the products studied included more sodium than what health experts generally recommend. 

Furthermore, nearly 90 percent of labels on the products surveyed included potentially misleading or deceptive claims about their composition. 

“In Vietnam, many commercially produced complementary foods (CPCFs) on the market are not up to standards in terms of nutritional value, and their labeling practices could potentially mislead parents,” said Lesley Miller, deputy representative of UNICEF Vietnam.

“There is an urgent need to address significant gaps in the national CPCFs regulatory framework.

“Children and their parents deserve better options.”

CPCFs represent a common part of the diets of young children in Southeast Asia, with 79 percent of the mothers from urban centers reporting that they provide these foods for their young children daily. 

Across Southeast Asia, sales of CPCFs have risen 45 percent in the past five years. 

The study found that about three-quarters of the mothers surveyed in Vietnam fed their children with CPCFs at least once daily. 

Forty-eight percent of these mothers purchased CPCFs from supermarkets and 33 percent from baby stores.

In terms of regulation, the study noted that none of the seven countries had national policies on the composition and labelling of CPCFs, as per international guidance. 

Several countries were found to have no legal measures to regulate the sugar or salt content of commercially produced complementary foods. 

Countries with maximum sugar or salt thresholds often only applied them to certain food categories, such as cereals or snack foods, and the thresholds were higher than international standards. 

Sugar intake early in life can lead to cavities, weight gain, and poor eating habits, while high sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure, with impacts that can be lifelong.

“Governments and food producers can, and must, play a stronger role in safeguarding the health of the youngest children,” underlined Debora Comini, UNICEF regional director for East Asia and the Pacific. 

“Good nutrition in the first years of life helps children thrive, fuelling prosperous families, productive workforces, and powerful economies. 

“On the other hand, poor nutrition increases the risk of stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight, obesity, and disease, ultimately coming at great cost to children and their families, as well as to healthcare systems and economies.”

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