For people who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, infant formula is lifesaving, supplying their babies with precious nutrients they need to grow and thrive.
Concerned about contaminants and the use of controversial seed oils in the nation’s tightly regulated infant formula supply, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched a review of infant formula regulations he calls Operation Stork Speed.
tripskan
Yet while industry and experts debate those regulations, there is another type of “formula” — for toddlers ages 1 to 3 years old — that no one is overseeing.
“Toddler milks” are marketed to parents who have been using infant formula as a necessary next step in their child’s nutritional journey, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Critics say these expensive concoctions — first introduced into the United States in the 1990s — are not nutritionally necessary, may be contributing to childhood obesity, and should not be sold at all.
https://tripscan43.org
tripskan
Yet while industry and experts debate those regulations, there is another type of “formula” — for toddlers ages 1 to 3 years old — that no one is overseeing.
“Toddler milks” are marketed to parents who have been using infant formula as a necessary next step in their child’s nutritional journey, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Critics say these expensive concoctions — first introduced into the United States in the 1990s — are not nutritionally necessary, may be contributing to childhood obesity, and should not be sold at all.
In fact, some toddler beverages may be potentially harmful to young children due to excess added sugars, defined as sweeteners that don’t naturally occur in food, Fuchs said.
The recommended amount of added sugar for infants and children younger than age 2 is zero, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet research from 2019 found that on average, infants consume 1 teaspoon of added sugar a day while toddlers consume about 6 teaspoons a day.
“Infants and children exposed to high sugar, fat or salt in their diets develop a preference for these as they grow older,” Fuchs said. “Studies show this is a risk for childhood obesity and all of its consequences through adulthood.” |
