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The nutritional quality of commercially produced complementary food (CPCF) varies widely, with CPCF in high-income settings often containing excessive levels of sugar and sodium. Little is known about the nutritional quality of CPCF available in the West Africa region, despite their potential to improve the nutrition of infants and young children (IYC). This study evaluated the nutritional quality of CPCF available in five West African countries using the WHO Europe nutrient profiling model (NPM) and assessed their suitability for IYC based on label information. The proportion that would necessitate a "high sugar" warning was also determined, and the micronutrient (iron, calcium, and zinc) content was assessed against IYC-recommended nutrient intakes. Of the 666 products assessed, only 15.9% were classified as nutritionally suitable for promotion for IYC. The presence of added sugar and excessive sodium levels were the most common reasons for a product to fail the nutrient profiling assessment. Dry/instant cereals contributed the highest percentage of recommended nutrient intake (RNI) per serving. This highlights the need for policies to improve the nutritional quality of CPCF in West Africa, including labeling standards and the use of front-of-pack warning signs to promote product reformulation and clearly communicate nutritional quality to caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL) can provide a mechanism for communicating the nutritional quality of commercially produced complementary foods (CPCF) to caregivers. To better understand the role FOPNL may provide for CPCF, this study aimed to evaluate CPCFs against national and global FOPNL systems to determine the proportion that would warrant warning or traffic light signs for high levels of concerning nutrients. A cross-sectional assessment was conducted to evaluate the levels of selected nutrients in CPCF available in Australia (n = 266), Brazil (n = 41), Chile (n = 73), Mexico (n = 164), the United States (n = 562), the United Arab Emirates (n = 135), and the United Kingdom (n = 643). The analysis was based on national FOPNL systems and the WHO Regional Office for Europe CPCF nutrient profiling model's 'high sugar' FOPNL warning. A substantial proportion of CPCFs contained excessive levels of total sugar, total fat or saturated fat that would warrant a red/amber traffic light or warning sign on product labels. Additionally, the high prevalence of added sugars and sweeteners identified in CPCFs was concerning. Based on these findings, the use of FOPNL among CPCFs could be beneficial to communicate the nutritional quality of these products to caregivers and trigger the reformulation of CPCFs with inappropriate nutrient profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization recommends feeding snacks between meals to young children. This study explored nutritional quality of snacks consumed between meals and consumption metrics (% total energy intakes (%TEI) and amount of kcal from snacks) to understand correlations with dietary outcomes (total energy intakes and dietary adequacy) and body-mass-index-for-age z-scores (BMIZ). Data used were 24-h dietary recalls and anthropometric measurements among a representative sample (n = 679) of one-year-olds in Nepal. Nepali meal patterns for young children were identified through formative research and all foods/beverages consumed outside of meals were categorized as snacks. A nutrient profiling model was used to categorize snacks as healthy or unhealthy, based on positive and negative nutrient content. Snacks consumed between meals provided half of all energy consumed, and were associated with increased energy and nutrient intakes. The positive effect of snacks between meals on dietary adequacy was greater when these snacks were healthy, while increasing %TEI from unhealthy snacks consumed between meals was negatively associated with dietary adequacy. Consumption of snacks between meals was not associated with mean BMIZ among the children. These findings indicate that the provision of and nutritional quality of snacks are important considerations to communicate to caregivers. Discouragement of unhealthy, nutrient-poor snacks is critical for complementary feeding dietary guidelines in contexts experiencing nutrition transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption of commercial snack food and beverage products among infants, young, and school-aged children may have negative effects on child nutritional outcomes, as these foods are typically dense in energy but not in micronutrients. However, there is limited information available about the consumption of such snacks in low-income settings, particularly in Africa. We contribute to filling this gap using data from 11,537 children aged 6–59.9 months from four West African countries (i.e., Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, and Niger). We estimated the prevalence of commercial snack food and drink consumption and explored variations within the sample by age group, urban or rural residence, household wealth status, and caregiver educational attainment. The results show that 25.7% of children in Niger, 31.5% in Burkina Faso, 42.9% in Mali, and 45.4% in Cote d'Ivoire ate at least one commercial snack food or beverage in the prior 24 h. Consumption prevalence was significantly higher in urban areas than rural areas, among older children (ages 2–5 y) than those in the complementary feeding period (6–23.9 months), and among children in wealthier households. These relationships were confirmed via logistic regression. Our results confirm the widespread consumption of commercial snack foods and drinks by young children in West Africa, a finding with relevance for nutrition policy and programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]