A comprehensive nutrient gap assessment in the Philippines
Estimating micronutrient gaps during the complementary feeding period
Highlights
A nutrition transition is underway across Southeast Asia, with convenience, time and aspiration increasingly influencing food choices. This changing food environment is resulting in a shift from traditional diets towards processed foods that are usually higher in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats, and lower in essential nutrients – and children’s diets are no exception.
The availability, affordability and variety of commercially produced, packaged foods marketed as suitable for older infants and young children – also known as commercially produced complementary foods (CPCF) – is increasing. Many CPCF exceed recommended levels of sugar, salt or fat and/or are labelled in ways that may mislead consumers; these products should not be promoted or provided to older infants and young children. For other CPCF, however, targeted improvements to their nutrient composition – such as through fortification – can help improve their nutritional impact. Governments and partners must work together to ensure that the CPCF promoted as suitable for older infants and young children are nutritionally adequate, safe and labelled in a responsible way.
The Consortium for Improving Complementary Foods in Southeast Asia (COMMIT)i was established to help ensure that the CPCF sold and consumed in the region contribute to healthy diets instead of unhealthy ones. COMMIT recognizes that one of the most effective ways to transform the food system and food environment is by supporting governments to set up regulatory environments that enable access to healthy food, adequately regulate unhealthy products and protect consumers from inappropriate marketing practices. To do this, COMMIT identified micronutrient gaps in the diets of older infants and young children, analysed current consumer CPCF preferences, reviewed national legislation regulating CPCF nutrient composition and labelling practices, and used a nutrient profile model to assess current CPCF nutrient composition, labelling practices and micronutrient content.
