AMA calls for swift action on commercial foods for infants and young children

This week, we called on the federal government to adopt best practice standards for nutrition in commercial foods for infants and young children, and to put a stop to coercive and deceptive marketing of products.

The call was part of the AMA’s submission to the Department of Health and Aged Care’s public consultation on improving commercial foods for infants and young children.

AMA President Professor Steve Robson said parents and guardians should be able to rely on the government to ensure commercial foods for infants and young children support children’s health and nutrition and are labelled and marketed responsibly.

“Many commercial foods for infants and young children fail to support optimal health, growth and development,” Professor Robson said.

“The nutritional content of many of these products is inadequate and they fall short of international standards for labelling and promotion.

“Parents and guardians are being bombarded by coercive marketing but do not have enough information about the nutritional quality of the commercial foods being sold to them to be able to make informed choices.

“To protect our youngest Australians, comprehensive changes to the composition, texture, and labelling of commercial foods for infants and young children are imperative.

“To be effective, these changes must be mandatory, and compliance with them must be strictly monitored and enforced.

“The AMA recommends the government take action to overhaul the market for foods for infants and young children to ensure alignment with international best practice and dietary guidelines.”