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Proposal for a Part B in the Standard for Processed Cereal-Based Foods for Infants and Young Children (Codex Stan 074-1981, Rev – I 2006) 

IBFAN and the International Association of Consumer Food Organisations (IACFO) have sent comments on the eWorking Group cochaired by Botswana and India,  on a proposal, first made by India in 2010, for a Part B For Underweight Infants and Young Children.

We believe it is unnecessary to create a  Part B because the current standard can readily accommodate modifications proposed.

We are calling for the Codex Standard for Processed Cereal-based Foods for Infants and Young Children to be opened up and renamed as a standard to cover all foods for children 6-36months.   In this way all products for this vulnerable group could be covered by over-arching strengthened principles regarding safety, composition, labeling and marketing.  Such harmonization would facilitate the easy transposition into appropriate legislation.    

We believe that it is not necessary and extremely risky  to create a category of foods for children “at risk of becoming underweight,”  especially if such foods are to be marketed commercially rather than administered under medical supervision.

All foods marketed for young children that claim to meet Codex standards should be safe, of an adequate and appropriate quality and marketed responsibly.  There should no idealizing claims, imagery or text.

Opening the standard could allow composition problems to be addressed - for example,  the high level of permitted sugar (Section 3.4 CARBOHYDRATES). Simple sugars reduce nutrient density and set up taste preferences for sweet foods. High consumption of sugars in early life can lead to under-nutrition and obesity as well as vulnerability for diabetes.