High levels of sugar and salt in commercial baby foods in Malta: Results from a pilot study using the world health organization draft nutrient profile model

A major determinant of healthy growth and development is good nutrition during infancy and early childhood. The high level of marketing and wide-spread availability of commercially available complementary foods (baby foods) have led to various concerns about the nutritional content and potentially problematic marketing strategies used to promote these products, since this may adversely affect the parents’ practices and the health status of young children. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the nutritional characteristics of commercially available foods for infants and young children under the age of 36 months in Malta, and to identify if these foods met the nutritional standards outlined in the WHO draft nutrient profile model (NPM) for this age group. METHODS A pilot study was carried out in two supermarkets and one large pharmacy that consented the photographing of over 243 food labels of foods marketed for infants and young children under 36 months in Malta. The nutritional quality of these foods was analysed using a validated World Health Organization NPM. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Only 88 (36%) out of the 243 food products tested according to a draft of the WHO NPM met the appropriate nutritional standards criteria used by this model. Tested products were found to contain high amounts of sugar and salt. The findings suggest that the quality of most of the food and beverages marketed for infants and young children currently available on the local market are not suitable for infants and young children in this age group.