Parents, beware! High sugar, sodium content in snacks commercially marketed to children — new study
MANILA, Philippines — There's nothing like freshly cooked food for the family to partake, especially the children, who have big appetites and are constantly hungry and in need of food to snack on between meals.
We try to protect our children from commercially available food that may contain potentially harmful substances or too much salt and sugar content that is way above the daily limit and may impact their health during their adult years. But they are everywhere, and some of them even make misleading claims that lead parents to think they are actually good for kids. However, a recent study across seven countries in Southeast Asia shows an alarming 72% of snacks and finger foods marketed at children under age 3 contain added sugars and sweeteners.
This new study, which was released on December 14, 2023, reveals high sugar and salt content in commercially produced packaged foods marketed for children aged 6 months to 3 years in Southeast Asia, as well as widespread use of potentially misleading and deceptive labelling and lack of strict regulations around product composition and sale.
The study, supported by UNICEF and partners of the Consortium for Improving Complementary Foods in Southeast Asia (COMMIT), has assessed more than 1,600 infant cereals, purées, pouches, snacks, and ready-to-eat meals marketed at young children in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR (Laos, or Lao People’s Democratic Republic), Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. It has also studied consumer behaviors and existing regulations in the seven countries.
The study has found that nearly half of the products studied (44%) include added sugars and sweeteners; among snacks and finger foods, this rose to 72%. When it comes to salt content, more than one third of the products studied include more sodium than what’s recommended. Furthermore, nearly 90% of labels on the products studied include potentially misleading or deceptive claims about their composition.
“Far too many of the food products being marketed to the youngest girls and boys are unhealthy and labelled in ways that may deceive parents. Children and their parents deserve better,” says Debora Comini, UNICEF Regional Director
