Abstract
Commercial cereals are among the first complementary foods fed to infants in Germany and elsewhere. The purpose of this national survey is to describe the nutritional adequacy of commercial complementary cereals. A comprehensive, cross-sectional survey of cereal manufacturer websites (n = 15) was conducted from March to April 2019. Food labels were analyzed for iron, zinc, iodine, sodium, and sugar contents in commercial complementary cereals, and ingredient lists were evaluated for whole grains and added sugars. Preparation instructions were evaluated for the type of liquid recommended for reconstitution. Among 164 commercial complementary cereals, few contain iron (n = 43, 26%), zinc (n = 23, 14%) or iodine (n = 43, 26%). Sodium contents fall within EU thresholds. Most cereals were single grain, containing only wheat (n = 54), with half of the products (n = 86, 52%) containing whole grains. The average carbohydrate content of dry cereals is 69 g/100 g ± 9 g of which 14 ± 15 g is sugar. Preparation instructions for breakfast porridges and cereals recommend formula or toddler milk, while few recommend human milk (n = 13, 18%). Few commercial complementary cereals contain appreciable amounts (at least 15% of daily reference values) of zinc, iron, or iodine. A quarter of cereal carbohydrates are sugar and one-third of the products contain added sugars. Future directives should stipulate minimum micronutrient levels, strictly regulate sugar contents, and include human milk among preparation instructions.
Highlights
Commercial complementary foods (CCF), known as industrial baby foods, contribute a large proportion of the diets of infants and toddlers in high-income countries
European Regional office [1] reports high intakes of CCF across European countries, which coincides with studies from Germany [2,3,4]
States reported that 51% of infants aged four to five months, 75% of infants aged six to eight months, and 52% of infants aged nine to eleven months consume commercial complementary cereals, known as processed cereal based food (PCBF) [5]
Summary
Commercial complementary foods (CCF), known as industrial baby foods, contribute a large proportion of the diets of infants and toddlers in high-income countries. States reported that 51% of infants aged four to five months, 75% of infants aged six to eight months, and 52% of infants aged nine to eleven months consume commercial complementary cereals, known as processed cereal based food (PCBF) [5]. In Europe, an analysis of dietary intakes of 1088 infants and children enrolled in the EU Childhood Obesity Project (CHOP) demonstrated that the most commonly consumed CCF were commercial cereals [2]. Commercial cereals were the most commonly reported type of CCF at 4 months of age, Nutrients 2020, 12, 1590; doi:10.3390/nu12061590 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
