Food Nutrition Standards

Introduction

For the past two decades the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has undertaken the role of developing dietary guidelines for Australians.

Among these are the Infant Feeding Guidelines and Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents, which are designed for health professionals, educators and the public to highlight the key dietary components of a healthy diet for children.

The latest NHMRC guidelines (2003) can be read on it's website. Click here to enter the site.

How Golden Circle meets the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines

Golden Circle's baby foods have been formulated to meet the latest NHMRC guidelines which cover when, what and how solid foods should be introduced; developmental stages and food; and foods not suitable for babies.

Golden Circle's baby foods also result from extensive consultation with health professionals specialising in infant nutrition.

Health professionals in Australia now recommend exclusive breastfeeding to around six months as there is concern some carers are introducing solids too early (before four months), reducing the amount of breast milk and therefore reducing the essential nutrients and benefits associated with breastfeeding.

Golden Circle fully supports the view that breast milk offers the best nutritional start for babies and that solids should be introduced only when the infant is ready, which is usually at around six months of age.

The Golden Circle baby food range reflects the NHMRC recommendation that 'solid foods should be introduced from around six months of age but not before four months'.  However, should your infant health professional recommend your child would benefit from commencement of solids prior to six months, our First Foods range is suitable.

Eggs as an ingredient

Health professionals recommend babies aged younger than eight months should not be given egg yolk.

To more closely reflect this recommendation, Golden Circle only offers products with egg for babies aged eight months and over.

This is to avoid parents seeing an egg-based product in a can or jar and incorrectly assuming it's acceptable to give six-month-old child a hard-boiled egg.

Meat as an ingredient

Health professionals also recommend that meat should not be offered until after six months of age as until this age infants are unable to process the proteins.

Gluten as an ingredient

Similarly, we do not produce any products with cereals containing gluten (such as wheat) until nine months, because this more closely reflects recommendations from health professionals. So our Apple and Oatmeal cereal can only be found in the from ten months packaging. All other cereals in the yellow packaging, for babies from four months, are gluten free.

Click here to visit the NHMRC site.

How Golden Circle meets Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) regulations

Golden Circle adheres to the FSANZ Code, which provides the compositional and nutritional labelling requirements for baby food.

Standard 2.9.2 deals with foods for babies. It recognises the specific needs of babies relating to the texture of the food, digestion ability, capacity of the kidneys, and the need for high energy and nutrient intake to support rapid growth. This standard also recognises babies' high susceptibility to contaminants in food and the potential for food allergy.

The guidelines set out what the general nutrient composition should be for infant food.

Click here to visit the FSANZ site