Skip to content
Support Us

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Shutterstock

WHO warns commercial baby foods contain too much sugar

In around half of products examined, more than 30% of the calories in them were from total sugars.

COMMERCIAL BABY FOODS often contain too much sugar and display confusing ingredient lists, according to a new UN report. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) examined nearly 8,000 products from more than 500 stores in Austria, Bulgaria, Israel and Hungary between November 2017 and January 2018.

“In around half of products examined… more than 30% of calories were from total sugars and around a third of products contained added sugar or other sweetening agents,” the European branch of the WHO said in its report.

The WHO noted that while foods that naturally contain sugars, such as fruits and vegetables, can be appropriate in young child diets, “the very high levels of sugars present in commercial products is a cause for concern”.

A high sugar intake can increase the risk of overweight and dental cavities, the organisation warned.

And early exposure to overly sweet products can create a potentially harmful lifelong preference for sugary foods.

“Good nutrition in infancy and early childhood remains key to ensuring optimal child growth and development, and to better health outcomes later in life,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Zsuzsanna Jakab said in a statement.

Up to 60%  of inspected food products were labelled as suitable for infants under six months old, contrary to WHO recommendations “that infants receive exclusively breast milk for the first six months of life”, said the report.

The WHO said it was updating its guidelines to help member countries adopt new legislation to curb high sugar intake.

The WHO wants the promotion of breast milk substitutes to end, and recommends that children between six months and two years be fed nutrient-rich foods prepared at home.

The organisation called for the banning of added sugars and sweeteners in baby foods, and said labels on candies and sweetened beverages – including fruit juices and condensed milk – should state the products are not suitable for children under three.

- © AFP 2019.

Author
View 14 comments
Close
14 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kane Abel
    Favourite Kane Abel
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:12 PM

    Lots of Hippos around Limerick in plus size tracksuits……

    425
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Kelly's Ego
    Favourite Alan Kelly's Ego
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:13 PM

    They’re everywhere.

    112
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Just Some Guy
    Favourite Just Some Guy
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:21 PM

    Dublin is full of them too

    140
    See 6 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Kelly's Ego
    Favourite Alan Kelly's Ego
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:25 PM

    They all wear spandex nowadays

    110
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute AARO-SAURUS
    Favourite AARO-SAURUS
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:27 PM

    Mooseknuckles on show.

    74
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute O Swetenham
    Favourite O Swetenham
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:30 PM

    Not true Aaro, apparently they can hide their testicles.

    53
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Kelly's Ego
    Favourite Alan Kelly's Ego
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:30 PM

    Stuff of nightmares

    42
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Suzie Sunshine
    Favourite Suzie Sunshine
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 9:13 PM

    You’re still talking about hippos right ?

    29
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Kelly's Ego
    Favourite Alan Kelly's Ego
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 9:17 PM

    Yep, definitely hippos Suzie

    28
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tweety McTweeter
    Favourite Tweety McTweeter
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:07 PM

    I never knew Pablo Escobar died.
    How about a spoiler alert for those of us following it on Netflix?!

    78
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Kelly's Ego
    Favourite Alan Kelly's Ego
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:12 PM

    Ah here

    80
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ciarán Masterson
    Favourite Ciarán Masterson
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:17 PM

    @Tweety

    Ah now, who hasn’t heard of Pablo Escobar?!

    53
    See 3 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Murray
    Favourite Dave Murray
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:53 PM

    Ah Tweety, next you’ll be saying you thought he was a fictional character.

    34
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Harry Whitehead
    Favourite Harry Whitehead
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 11:10 PM

    He was shot by Colombian National Police during a rooftop chase after they tracked him down at one of his various hiding places. There is ongoing debate as to whether he was still running when the fatal shot hit him in the ear, whether he was executed while lying on the ground wounded, or whether (as his brothers claim) he shot himself. Either way, someone mocked his corpse by shaving off the sides of his moustache – ie giving him a Hitler moustache.

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute john culhane
    Favourite john culhane
    Report
    Jul 11th 2016, 12:19 AM

    Who

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Keaneland
    Favourite Keaneland
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:29 PM

    They is some seriously inbred hippos by now. Bet they love chilling out by the river duelling banjos!

    70
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Kelly's Ego
    Favourite Alan Kelly's Ego
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:31 PM

    Some of them have 3 eyes and 2 tails

    39
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute ShaneMerrigan
    Favourite ShaneMerrigan
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:56 PM

    And They all have 5 legs

    19
    See 3 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Kelly's Ego
    Favourite Alan Kelly's Ego
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 9:18 PM

    And instead of having a mouth, they have 2 arses

    39
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute ShaneMerrigan
    Favourite ShaneMerrigan
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 9:29 PM

    They’d fit in well in the Dail

    40
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Minom Pnom
    Favourite Minom Pnom
    Report
    Jul 11th 2016, 8:21 AM

    And going to gaa matches wearing straw hats.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute will
    Favourite will
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:10 PM

    I knew he died ..I didn’t know he had hippos.

    61
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute The Girl
    Favourite The Girl
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:10 PM

    He had hippos?

    43
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Kelly's Ego
    Favourite Alan Kelly's Ego
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:13 PM

    He had hippos

    73
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute AARO-SAURUS
    Favourite AARO-SAURUS
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:27 PM

    Hippos, he had.

    60
    See 3 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Keaneland
    Favourite Keaneland
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 9:01 PM

    He had Mules too!

    35
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Kelly's Ego
    Favourite Alan Kelly's Ego
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 9:17 PM

    He had mules?

    29
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Uncle Monty
    Favourite Uncle Monty
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 9:43 PM

    Neigh.

    23
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Humphrey De Fluff
    Favourite Humphrey De Fluff
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:27 PM

    Why do you ride hippo’s? Why?

    30
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Kelly's Ego
    Favourite Alan Kelly's Ego
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:31 PM

    To make baby hippos?

    57
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute throw9away
    Favourite throw9away
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:55 PM

    Because she’ll have me!

    44
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute BroadSideSkid
    Favourite BroadSideSkid
    Report
    Jul 12th 2016, 12:19 AM

    … He kisses *my* back ! LOL

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paddy Byrne
    Favourite Paddy Byrne
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:54 PM

    Escobar had alot of other animals. I remeber hearing he paid crazy money for birds. I wonder what happened to the rest of his animals. Probably stolen and sold.

    23
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Uncle Monty
    Favourite Uncle Monty
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:58 PM

    I paid crazy money for a bird once and she stole my watch.

    95
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Diarmuid Lenihan
    Favourite Diarmuid Lenihan
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 9:24 PM

    I laid fcuk all and she still stole my watch

    26
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Uncle Monty
    Favourite Uncle Monty
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 10:17 PM

    Therein lies your problem.

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute bings
    Favourite bings
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:45 PM

    Hip hip hippo hooray

    15
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute patrick boland
    Favourite patrick boland
    Report
    Jul 11th 2016, 5:34 AM

    Send in the irish army.

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Harries
    Favourite David Harries
    Report
    Jul 11th 2016, 12:03 AM

    He bought four now there’s 35 talk about interbreeding

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Pritchard
    Favourite John Pritchard
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:26 PM

    Down with this sort of thing

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Pritchard
    Favourite John Pritchard
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:39 PM

    Careful now ☺☺☺

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonny Irish
    Favourite Jonny Irish
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 9:22 PM

    Utter torment is all those comments are!

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Radburn
    Favourite Paul Radburn
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:45 PM

    We’re they dope tested?

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Radburn
    Favourite Paul Radburn
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 8:46 PM

    Were

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute TheFairWind
    Favourite TheFairWind
    Report
    Jul 10th 2016, 9:34 PM

    Why does Michael Collins like riding hippos?

    3
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a comment

 
cancel reply
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds