Brussels, 29/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - In a scientific opinion published on Thursday 24 July, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) makes recommendations on the intake levels of energy, macronutrients and micronutrients in infant and follow-on formulae, to ensure that they are safe and suitable to meet nutritional requirements and promote the growth and development of infants. This opinion, which was prepared by EFSA's Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies, looks at the essential composition of infant and follow-on formulae.
EFSA recommends a minimum energy intake of 60 kcal per 100 ml of formula and a maximum of 70 kcal per 100 ml for infants up to one year old.
Reducing maximum protein level. For macronutrients (proteins, fat, carbohydrate), it proposes minimum and maximum values. The amounts of fat and carbohydrate recommended are close to those stipulated by EU legislation. However, EFSA proposes to reduce the maximum amount of protein from 3 g/100 kcal in infant formulae and from 3.5 g/100 kcal in follow-on formulae, to 2.5 g/100 kcal in formulae based on milk protein, and to 2.8 g/100 kcal in formulae containing isolated soy protein or hydrolysed protein. The EFSA scientific experts consider that there is no evidence of a physiological need for such high protein intakes and that current protein intakes are well above requirements.
For micronutrients, EFSA proposes minimum levels. It emphasises that these minimum levels cover the nutritional needs of virtually all healthy infants born at term and, from a nutritional point of view, there is no need to exceed these amounts in formulae.
This scientific opinion updates the advice provided by the Scientific Committee on Food in 2003. It follows an EFSA opinion on nutrient requirements and dietary intakes of infants and young children in the EU, published in October 2013, in which EFSA states that the use of milk-based formulae provided no additional value to a balanced diet to respond to the nutritional requirements of young children (see EUROPE 10955). (AN)