Global Standard for the Composition of Infant Formula: Recommendations of an ESPGHAN Coordinated International Expert Group

Abstract

The Codex Alimentarius Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) develops food standards, guidelines and related texts for protecting consumer health and ensuring fair trade practices globally. The major part of the world's population lives in more than 160 countries that are members of the Codex Alimentarius. The Codex Standard on Infant Formula was adopted in 1981 based on scientific knowledge available in the 1970s and is currently being revised. As part of this process, the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses asked the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition to initiate a consultation process with the international scientific community to provide a proposal on nutrient levels in infant formulae, based on scientific analysis and taking into account existing scientific reports on the subject. ESPGHAN accepted the request and, in collaboration with its sister societies in the Federation of International Societies on Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, invited highly qualified experts in the area of infant nutrition to form an International Expert Group (IEG) to review the issues raised. The group arrived at recommendations on the compositional requirements for a global infant formula standard which are reported here.

Developmental Effects of Dietary Nucleotides in Second-Generation Weaned Rats

“…Also, the total of all nucleotides must not exceed 5 mg/100 kcal. 27 In our experiment, the designation of composition followed guidelines for infant milk formula and the metabolism of purine in vivo.…”

Vitamin-fortified complementary foods for infant nutrition

“…Международными регламентами (Scientific Committee on food on revision of essential requirements of infant formulae and follow-on formulae, ЕС, 2003) установлен верхний безопасный предел уровня вита-минов в продуктах прикорма [13,14]. Верхний предел содержания в продуктах прикорма и смесях ниаци-на, витамина В 6 , фолиевой и аскорбиновой кислот, для которых существует потенциальная возможность возникновения нежелательных эффектов, был уста-новлен исходя из потребления младенцем массой 5 кг смеси с энергетической ценностью 500 ккал (100 ккал на 1 кг массы тела в сут), содержание витаминов в ко-торой не должно превышать 1/3 от верхнего допу-стимого уровня потребления для детей 1-3 лет.…”

Acidified infant formula explained

“…1 Breast milk remains the best source of nourishment for infants, and all mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed. 2,3 Breastfeeding reduces exposure to these pathogens and also supplies the infant with protective antibodies against food-borne pathogens, resulting in a decreased incidence of diarrhoea in breastfed children. 1 The development of effective methods to prevent acute gastroenteritis in infants remains a central objective for infant health.…”