Evidence for high sugar content of baby foods in South Africa

Evidence for high sugar content of baby foods in South Africa

Background. Early-life exposure to excess sugar affects eating behaviour and creates a predisposition to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). While reducing sugar consumption has been high on the public health agenda, little is known about the sugar content of baby foods.Objectives. To describe and ana...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:South African medical journal Vol. 109; no. 5; pp. 328 - 332
Main Authors: Erzse, A, Hofman, K.J, Marais, N.C, Christofides, N.J
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Health and Medical Publishing Group (HMPG) 01-05-2019
Health & Medical Publishing Group
South African Medical Association
Subjects:
Analysis
Baby foods
Chronic diseases
Communicable diseases
Health aspects
Inspection
Packaging
Prevention
Public health
Retail trade
Risk factors
Sugar
Supermarkets
Taste (Sense)
South Africa
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Summary:Background. Early-life exposure to excess sugar affects eating behaviour and creates a predisposition to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). While reducing sugar consumption has been high on the public health agenda, little is known about the sugar content of baby foods.Objectives. To describe and analyse the sugar content of baby foods in South Africa (SA).Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyse the sugar content of baby foods. The study sample included commercially available baby foods targeted at children aged Results. Over 70% of products were sweet in taste, with one in four containing added sugars. Sugar content was high in 78% of the foods sampled. Over 80% of cereals and pureed desserts contained added sugar. Fewer than 10% of pureed composite meal and pureed fruit and vegetable categories contained added sugar. Most products adhered to SA labelling standards, but none had front-of-pack nutritional information.Conclusions. The SA baby food market is characterised by products with a high sugar content, promoting an environment that encourages development of sweet-taste preferences and in the long term contributing to the rising burden of NCDs. There is an urgent need for mandatory regulation of sugar in baby foods.
ISSN:0256-9574
2078-5135
DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2019.v109i5.13314