Public Consultation: Improving commercial foods for infants and young children

Risks and limitations

• Potential for long implementation period but a more permanent solution.
• There are several relevant product sub-categories within young child foods this approach would require detailed definitions and specifications for each product sub-category and evidence would be required to justify a prescriptive approach. Any standards would have to nuance requirements by category as appropriate.
• Labelling changes require some level of consumer understanding to achieve intended outcome.
• Potential to create a more complex regulatory environment by changing the NIP requirements for a specific subset of foods.
• As the dietary guidance is reviewed and updated there may be a need to be update requirements where relevant.
• Potential to create barriers to trade, however, a technical barrier to trade application can be made to the World Trade Organisation if required to address this issue.

Composition
Review and develop regulatory compositional requirements for commercial foods for infants and young children. This should include, but not be limited to:

• Extending minimum iron levels to further categories of foods targeted to infant and young children.
• Extending maximum sugar and sodium content to further categories of foods targeted to infant and young children.

Labelling
Review and enhance labelling requirements for commercial foods for infants and young children, in consultation with consumer law regulators as appropriate. This could include, but not be limited to:

• Reviewing the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) to ensure it is fit for purpose for this age group, such as requiring the declaration of iron content.
• Reviewing claim permissions (e.g. nutrition content claims) to ensure claims enable carers to make informed choice and do not mislead, such as restrictions on added sugar claims (if not addressed by P1062) or the number of claims permitted on pack.
• Reviewing marketing aspects of foods for young children, including use of characters on packaging and provision of toys.
• Reviewing the naming requirements for foods to ensure current regulations enable informed consumer choice. This could include requiring product names to list ingredients in the order of prominence.
• Require pouch products with a spout to include a statement that indicates the food should not be consumed by sucking from the package (spout) and should be decanted into a bowl or onto a spoon prior to consumption.
• Require foods packaged in pouches with spouts to include a statement that these products are not suitable for consumption for children over 12 months.

Texture

• Including labelling information about the appropriateness of the texture of the food and a child’s developmental stage.