SNE calls for the EU to abide by new UN rules on formula for older infants and young children

15 Feb 2024 --- The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Codex Alimentarius, the global body for food standards, has updated the composition criteria on formula for infants and children between six months and three years of age.

Specialized Nutrition Europe (SNE) calls on EU policymakers to adopt the newly established requirement to ensure adequate early-childhood nutrition in the bloc.

“The revised Codex standard reflects the latest scientific evidence in terms of nutrient composition and clearly differentiates ‘follow on formula’ (6-12 months) and ‘young child’ formula (12-36 months),” SNE secretary general Beat Späth tells Nutrition Insight. 

“The nutritional situation of young children is not the same everywhere around the world. Specifically in the EU, toddlers usually consume too much protein, salt, energy, and sugar but too little dietary fiber, iodine, iron and omega-3 fatty acids. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recognizes that although young child formula is not necessary, it can contribute to a varied diet.”

Young children in Europe consume too much protein and not enough iodine, iron, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D.“This is one of the means through which we can ensure that young children in Europe take in all these essential nutrients in the appropriate amounts,” Späth argues. 

New composition criteria
FAO’s Standard for follow-up formula for older infants and products for young children was updated in November of 2023 by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, highlighting the different nutritional requirements of older infants and young children. EFSA has yet to abide by the new recommendations. 

“For young children, between one and two, the number of mandatory micronutrients has been reduced, with eight mandatory micronutrients (vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin/vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin C, iron, calcium and zinc),” Späth points out. 

“From a macronutrient perspective, energy is decreased, protein is decreased, a maximum is established for available carbohydrates and the fat content is adjusted. This represents a major global reformulation exercise that will align these products to the latest science in countries that will implement these new requirements.” 

Discussing the potential health implications of the current EU regulations for the composition of young child formula, Späth asserts that “young children are neither mini adults nor maxi babies.” 

“They have their own nutritional needs. High protein intake may increase the risk of being overweight in later life. We, therefore, believe that young child formula should be recognized as a specific product category and that its composition should be regulated to properly inform the caregivers about what they are consuming and eating as European families.” 

EFSA confirms that, on average, young children in Europe consume too much protein and not enough iodine, iron, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D. “Drinking young child formula is one good way to balance out these nutrient intakes,” he states.

Policy recommendations
Späth emphasizes that nutrition is essential to a child’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. “Decision-makers should support EU regulation to avoid deficiencies in European countries.” 

SNE points out that while several countries worldwide have successfully implemented the pre-existing Codex on the follow-up formula, the recently revised standard has yet to be adopted by any nation. 

“We expect the EU to be a leader on this matter. As diets vary across the world, nutritional needs also differ. Therefore, the EU will have to do its own implementation, building on the specific nutritional needs of young children in the EU,” Späth continues. 

“Adopting the new Codex requirements at the EU level is essential to ensure products on our market meet the specific needs of the intended population, but it is also important to recall that specialized nutrition in the EU is one of the leading export sectors in terms of volume and value,” he comments. 

“The lack of implementation by the EU could be extremely detrimental in the long run to the excellence and expertise of the European specialized nutrition sector, that so far has been recognized by the world.” 

SNE recognizes that the revision of the Codex has taken years and is thus likely that its adoption will take time as well. 

“We recommend, at a first step at the EU level, that compositional criteria and Reference Intake Values should be set for the age group of 12 to 36 months, as this would be a good starting point to solve many of the issues that the European specialized nutrition sector has been facing following the deregulation of this category — when on the contrary the sector has always been calling for strict composition rules in addition to the strict food safety rules that are essential for this vulnerable population.”

By Milana Nikolova