In poorer and middle-income countries, baby food is dangerously unreliable, says a study soon to be out in the journal Maternal and Child Nutrition. The researchers called for an international agency to test and certify the nutritious quality of commercial baby food, says The New York Times.
After testing 108 brands of infant porridge, the researchers found that less than a quarter satisfied international standards for fat, protein, zinc and iron.
“Some of these products are fine, but some are just awful, and there’s no way for consumers to tell the difference,” said William A. Masters, the study’s lead author and an economist with the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. “A wonderful food category is languishing for lack of quality certification.”
Masters said that the public-sector nutrition community, which encourages breastfeeding and discourages processed food, is sometimes prejudiced against baby food companies. But used correctly, as a supplement for children over six months, and assuming the packaged baby food has the right nutritional makeup, they “can be lifesavers,” says Masters.