A UWC study found front-of-pack labelling in some baby foods may be misleading.
Image: File
A study conducted by a dietician and researcher from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) suggests that some baby food companies may be flouting Regulations 991 of 2012.
The regulation, enacted by the South African Department of Health, regulates the marketing, labelling, and sale of breastmilk substitutes, formula, and complementary foods for infants and young children.
The study was conducted by Aneeqah Latief, from the university’s Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, and warned that such practices may undermine breastfeeding and mislead parents into believing these products are superior to breast milk, considered the best for optimal infant growth and development.
After examining 266 photographs of baby foods in Cape Town supermarkets, she found that a significant number of products contained front-of-pack marketing designed to attract parents.
UWC researcher and dietician, Aneeqah Latief's study found that non-compliance with food labelling guidelines may mislead parents or influence early infant feeding practices.
Image: UWC
Latief said these included health claims, catchy phrases, expert endorsements and digital links to manufacturers. Some of the phrases of the health claims included ‘reduced sweetness…contains iron’, ‘no added starch’, ‘no added salt/sugar, no preservatives', ‘gluten-free’, and ‘organic’.
According to the study, South Africa has one of the world’s lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates, with just 22% mothers breastfeeding exclusively in 2022. This is below the World Health Organisation (WHO) target of 50% of mothers exclusively breastfeeding in 2025.
Experts have cited aggressive formula marketing and cultural misconceptions as key reasons.
In her research, Latief found ‘cross promotion’, with over 80% of products sharing identical labels, making it hard for parents to tell the difference between formal, follow-up milk, and complementary foods.
Latief said clear labelling is vital as South Africa faces growing malnutrition and obesity challenges.
According to the research in the study, paediatric juices had the highest rate of non-compliance, containing high sugar content with no health warnings for caregivers. Some baby foods carried marketing claims that positioned manufacturers as experts on infant feeding and promoted the products as trusted brands. Latief said promotional phrases included statements like ‘150 years of nutrition experience’ and ‘generations of parents have trusted our infant cereals to provide just what their babies need’ - messaging that may influence caregivers’ purchasing decisions.
Latief’s study suggests that such statements may be in contravention of Regulation 911 on
baby foods, issued under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act of 2012, which prohibits promotional practices as well as health or medicinal claims on baby food products.
“Although regulations make it compulsory for complementary foods to carry clear health warnings, such as stating that the product is not intended for infants under six months and that early introduction is not recommended, the study found that compliance is low. The warning message against feeding infants under six months of age was not displayed on the front-of-pack of 23.2% of baby cereals, and only 4.8% of puréed products included the guidance to introduce a variety of foods from six months alongside breast milk,” Latief said.
The study further found the pictorial representations of fruit-flavoured foods to be misleading.
The pictures depicted fruits in their natural form despite the products containing fruit flavourings such as concentrates, pulps, and dehydrated fruit, rather than fresh fruit.
Latief said it’s important that baby food labelling adhere to regulations.
“If labelling or marketing does not fully comply with regulations, it can mislead parents about nutritional quality, influence early feeding practices, undermine breastfeeding promotion efforts, and affect infant and young child health outcomes,” she said.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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