Welsh parents urge for more information and transparency in the misleading children’s food market

BABY FOODS FOUND TO BE A KEY CAUSE IN CHILD SPEECH DEFECTS, TEETH
DISTORTION AND SUGAR MISLABELLING

New research by children’s food brand Kiddylicious Little Bistro has
revealed three significant areas of concern in the current baby food
market that has raised alarm among parents, dentists, nutritionists
and speech therapists alike: speech defects, teeth distortion and
enamel erosion, and misleading labelling of sugar content in meals.

The research discovered that 57% of parents in Wales were unaware
that the use of spouts, typically found in baby food pouches, can have
a detrimental effect on their baby’s speech development and teeth
formation.

DR NIGEL CARTER OBE, DENTIST, CEO OF THE ORAL HEALTH FOUNDATION AND
CHAIR OF PLATFORM FOR BETTER ORAL HEALTH IN EUROPE COMMENTS:

_”Spouts, which are featured on the packaging of some convenience
foods, may cause problems with the correct development of teeth with
poor positioning and crowding. Prolonged sucking on spouts could lead
to the upper jaw failing to grow properly which may cause crowding of
the teeth, which could result in a need for braces or orthodontic
treatments later on._

_Just like with valved and hard spout drinking bottles, spouted baby
foods should be discouraged and we suggest parents encourage their
children to start free flow drinking from an early age and to focus on
earlier food eating, rather than relying on smooth purees and spouted
food products.”_

Unsurprisingly, 64% of parents admitted that they would have
reconsidered their purchase had they been aware of the teeth defects
that baby foods with spouts can cause. 39% of parents were also
unaware of the critical importance of the presence of soft chunks, of
approximately 8mm for children from around seven months, to encourage
chewing, as well as jaw muscle and speech development.

EMMA AHERN, SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST, COMMENTS:

_”Spouts restrict the passing of larger yet suitably sized, soft
chunks of food for children around the age of seven months, which is
important to encourage regular chewing patterns. Critically, chewing
helps to increase the strength, coordination and control of the
all-important jaw muscles as well as the tongue and the lips that
children need early on to help promote future speech development._

_The development of these muscles through chewing can be really
beneficial for clear speech production in the future. With regular
chewing practice children can begin to develop the range of movement
and coordination of their facial muscles and structures which in turn
can support their production of sounds in speech.”_

The research also found that over 11% of Welsh parents have children
under five-years-old who suffered from dental issues such as distorted
teeth and tooth decay.

DR NIGEL CARTER OBE, DENTIST, CEO OF THE ORAL HEALTH FOUNDATION AND
CHAIR OF PLATFORM FOR BETTER ORAL HEALTH IN EUROPE, COMMENTS:

_”The use of food spouts can cause the food and liquid to pool behind
the teeth rather than being directly swallowed, concentrating the
sugar and acid in the area where it causes the most harm.”_

The research found that a significant reason for parents’ lack of
understanding in this area is due to the misleading names of baby
foods.

DR EMMA DERBYSHIRE, PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITIONIST AND HEALTH WRITER,
COMMENTS:

_”It’s essential that we’re feeding our children nutritionally
balanced meals filled with good quality protein for muscle
development, iron to support brain and cognitive development, and lots
of vegetables to develop young taste buds and avoid fussy eaters in
the future. _

_It goes without saying, but always read the label to check serving
sizes and be sure to pay special attention to the sugar or fruit
content, which isn’t always clearly labelled. Try to pick foods that
are a good source of protein and iron, and try to avoid those that
have more trans-fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugars.”_

The parents questioned in the research demanded more information and
support about the food currently on sale for their children, with 73%
calling for more information and education as well as baby food
manufacturers to be more responsible and honest.

An overhaul of the baby food market was demanded after parents stated
that nutrition, along with minimal salt and sugar levels were the two
most important factors when choosing baby food.

SALLY PRESTON, FOUNDER, KIDDYLICIOUS LITTLE BISTRO COMMENTS:

_”I think what’s key here is transparency. Parents are demanding more
honest food naming, labelling and information, particularly regarding
the impact of spouts, hidden fruit sugars and nutritional values;
problems that this new research has brought to light. As a result,
food manufacturers, particularly those producing children’s products,
must communicate more clearly about what is in their products and be
much more responsible with their marketing.” _