COMMIT Complementary Foods Synthesis Report - Southeast Asia
Findings from analyses of nutrients, policies, and consumer sentiment
Highlights
Well-regulated commercially-prepared complementary foods (CPCFs) can provide micronutrients in a form that is already familiar to caregivers. Fortified infant cereals, for example, are similar to traditional rice/cereal porridges fed to children across Southeast Asia. However, most countries currently lack national legislation to appropriately regulate the nutrient composition and labelling practices of CPCF. This means that the products currently available for purchase may exceed recommended levels of sugar, salt, or fat, and may be labelled in ways that mislead consumers about the suitability of these products for older infants and young children.
It is increasingly clear in Southeast Asia that improving household access to affordable, nutritious, fresh foods alone is not enough to reduce or prevent the increasing availability and consumption of CPCFs. Governments and partners must work together to ensure that the commercially produced foods promoted as suitable for older infants and young children are nutritionally adequate, safe, and marketed in a responsible way.
