uch) in amounts that may represent a hazard to health, and should not contain any poisonous or deleterious substances . The product should be prepared, packed, and stored under sanitary conditions. It should be packed in containers that will safeguard hygienic and other qualities of the food.
The technical name of the product as proposed by the Codex committee should be "supplementary food for older infants and young children." In addition, any appropriate designation or brand name may be used in accordance with national preferences. At a minimum, the label should include the net content by weight, storage instructions, and instructions for preparation before feeding. Pictorial instruction should be considered where literacy levels are low. Other information on the label may be considered; however, it may not be possible (or indeed necessary)to declare, as suggested by the
Codex committee, the sources of protein, list of ingredients, nutrient value, and date marking. This information should be available, but not necessarily on the label. The label should state that the product is for use in feeding infants 4-6 months old and older.
It is expected that existing local and/or national legal restrictions or rules concerning the formulation, marketing, and sales of food products will be followed.
This report was prepared at the request of Dr. Nevin Scrimshaw and with the support of the UNU Programme on Food, Nutrition, Biotechnology, and Poverty and the International Union of Nutrition Sciences.
The authors benefited from comments provided by the WHO Nutrition and MCH units; Professor M. K. Gabr, Cairo, President IUNS; Professor Joseph Hautvast, SecretaryGeneral IUNS; Professor J. Kusin, Amsterdam; and Professor Ricardo Bressani, Guatemala.
1. Codex standards for foods for special dietary uses including foods for infants and children and related code of hygienic practice, Codex Alimentarius, vol. 9, 1st ed. (FAO/WHO, Rome, 1982) and Supplement 1 (Rome, 1984).
2. "Guidelines for Development of Supplementary Foods for Older Infants and Young Children," Report of the 14th session of the Codex Committee on Foods for Special Dietary Uses, appendix 12 (FAO, Rome, 1985).
3. A Ashworth, "Feeding of Infants and Young Children: An Annotated Bibliography," Trop. Dis. Bull. (Suppl.), 81: 1 -91 (1985).
4. B. A. Underwood and Y. Hofvander, "Appropriate Timing for Complementary Feeding of the Breast-fed Infant: A Review," Acta Paediatr. Scand. (Suppl.), 294: 1-32 (1982).
5. G. H. Beaton and H. Ghassemi, "Supplementary Feeding and Nutrition for the Child in Developing Countries,'' Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 35: 864-916 (1982).
6. M. Cameron and Y. Hofvander, Manual on Feeding Infants and Young Children, 3rd ed. (Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, 1983).
7. Energy and Protein Requirements, Report of a Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation, WHO Technical Report 724 (WHO, Geneva, 1985).
8. ESPGAN Committee on Nutrition, "Guidelines on Infant Nutrition: I. Recomendations for the Composition of an Adapted Formula," Acta Paediatr. Scand. (Suppl.) 262: 1-20 (1977).
9. J. C. Baurenfeind, The Safe Use of Vitamin A: A Report of the International Vitamin A Consultative Group (IVACG) (Nutrition Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1980).
10. K. P. West, Jr., and A. Sommer, Periodic, Large Oral Doses of Vitamin A for the Prevention of Vitamin A Deficiency and Xerophthalmia: A Summary of Experiences (Nutrition Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1984).
11. P. R. Dallman and M. A. Siimes, Iron Deficiency in Infancy and Childhood: A Report of the International Anemia Consultative Group (INACG) (Nutrition Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1979).
Contents - Next