Brussels, 15/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - To protect the health of babies and young children, the European Parliament's environment, health and food safety committee, which is chaired by Giovanni La Via (EPP, Italy), is determined to push the EU to reduce the sugar content in processed foods for infants and young children.
Its intention was made clear in Brussels on Thursday 14 January when it voted to object to a European Commission proposal on the composition of cereal-based food and baby food and follow-on products, which the committee believes flies in the face of WHO recommendations.
Commission plans on the composition of processed cereal-based food and baby food do nothing to protect infants and young children against obesity, in the view of the MEPs, who passed the objection by 35 votes to 28.
This vote is an important first step towards ensuring that EU rules on baby food make health the top priority, said Keith Taylor (Greens/EFA, UK) who drafted the objection, which will be put to the vote in the plenary session of 20 January.
MEPs call for the maximum sugar content to be lowered to match World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations. The WHO recommends limiting intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake. Under the Commission proposal, however, sugars could continue to provide up to 30% of the energy intake from baby foods (7.5g sugar/100kcal is equivalent to 30kcal from sugar in 100kcal energy). The proposal also contradicts the health advice from member states' scientific committees which have recommended significant reductions in total sugar intake, the committee states.
MEPs point out that poor diet is now by far the biggest underlying cause of disease and death globally - bigger than tobacco, alcohol and physical inactivity.
Given the particular vulnerability of the endocrine system of infants and young children, MEPs also ask for zero tolerance for pesticides to apply as a general principle.
They say that the labelling and marketing of processed baby foods should make it clear that these products are not appropriate for infants of less than 6 months of age, and should not undermine the 6-month exclusive breastfeeding recommendation.
The controversial plans being challenged here were adopted by the European Commission under implementing regulation EU 609/2013, which allows the commission to adopt decisions establishing specific requirements on the composition of and information on the foods covered by the legislation. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)