Nestlé: China’s children are lacking a balanced diet

The findings of Nestlé’s study into maternal and infant nutrition and growth will be presented at the 2015 Asian Congress of Nutrition​, an event that aims to strengthen collaboration among Asian countries and international experts to advance knowledge on food and nutrition.

Tapping new stream of research​

The first large scale study of its kind in China, the study evaluated the diets of more than 1,400 infants and toddlers from eight cities to learn more about their food consumption patterns and sources of nutrition.

Knowledge on dietary status in young children in China has been scarce, said the report, whose objective was to evaluate the nutrient intakes of infants and toddlers from urban areas in China.

It found Chinese toddlers were not eating enough citrus fruits and dark green vegetables. The main sources of calories in their diet were limited to five foods: milk, rice, noodles, pork and eggs.

Calls for more fortified foods​

This lack of variety implies Chinese toddlers are not eating a balanced diet, the report said. 

“There appear to be shortfalls in the intakes of several vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc and selenium in the older infants and toddlers​.

“Excessive intakes were also observed for some vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A and zinc​.”

The study suggested that fortifying foods consumed by Chinese toddlers, such as milk, could help ensure they receive the micronutrients currently lacking in their diet.

It added that further work was warranted to identify the factors associated with the inadequate and excessive nutrient intakes and to evaluate the best strategies for ensuring the diet of young children balanced.