ArticleBritish dental journal2020
A cross-country exploratory study to investigate the labelling, energy, carbohydrate and sugar content of formula milk products marketed for infants.
Article in British dental journal, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Infant Formula for the Prevention and Treatment of Neonatal Hypoglycaemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Pooled it
- Starch-based thickening in infant formula:Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- A cross-sectional analysis of the nutritional quality and prices of commercial infant and toddler food products in the Canadian food supply.Paediatrics & child health · 2025Article
- Added Sugar Intake from Infant Formula and Complementary Foods: A Longitudinal Investigation and Implications for Infant Weight Gain.The Journal of nutrition · 2025Article
- Development and evaluation of food-based dietary recommendations for New Zealand toddlers using linear and goal programming.European journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- Article
- Digital marketing of commercial breastmilk substitutes and baby foods: strategies, and recommendations for its regulation in Mexico.Globalization and health · 2023Article
- Healthcare professionals and commercial milk formula recommendations in the urban Mexican context.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Digital marketing of formula and baby food negatively influences breast feeding and complementary feeding: a cross-sectional study and video recording of parental exposure in Mexico.BMJ global health · 2022Article
- Global evidence of persistent violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes: A systematic scoping review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2022Article
- Follow-up and growing-up formula promotion among Mexican pregnant women and mothers of children under 18 months old.Maternal & child nutrition · 2022Article
- Sugar content and nutrient content claims of growing-up milks in Indonesia.Maternal & child nutrition · 2021Article
- Association Between Added Sugars from Infant Formulas and Rapid Weight Gain in US Infants and Toddlers.The Journal of nutrition · 2021Article
- Nutrition and packaging characteristics of toddler foods and milks in Australia.Public health nutrition · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Aims The first aim was to describe the energy, carbohydrate and sugar contents of formula milk products in eleven countries. The second was to assess the labelling methods used. Based on the findings, approaches to facilitate the selection of infant-appropriate formula milk products were proposed.Background Consumption of excess sugar during infancy can increase the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including obesity, diabetes and dental caries. Reduction of sugar consumption has been high on the global public health agenda. Although most infants are fed formula milk products in addition to, or instead of, breastmilk (with only 38% exclusively breastfed), the sugar content of these products is often not included in sugar reduction strategies.Methods An exploratory study was conducted to describe the labelling and nutritional composition of a sample of infant formula products available in 11 countries. The sample, which was collected between May and August 2019, included commercially available formula products (n = 257) targeted at infants aged <3 years of age. The products were sold in supermarkets and by other major retailers across the sample countries. Primary data were obtained from labels on the packaging of the formula products.Results Findings suggest that the majority of products sampled were higher in total carbohydrate and carbohydrates of which sugar and lactose, than breastmilk, supporting previous research. The nutrition information presented on the products was often unclear and was inconsistent across the 11 counties sampled. None of the products had front-of-pack (FOP) nutritional information.Conclusion Findings suggest that globally, infant formula products are higher in carbohydrates, sugar and lactose than breastmilk. Labelling is unclear and inconsistent across brands and between countries. Based on the findings of this study, mandatory regulation of sugar content in formula products is needed with clear FOP nutrition information to help consumers choose the healthy option for their infants.
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