Future of Food: Journal on Food

The Need for Legislation on the Nutritional Composition of Infant Cereals: A Review of the Spanish Market.

Marta Beltra
Department of Applied Biology. Nutrition and Food Science and Institute of Bioengineering. Miguel Hernández University, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain
José Ripoll
Department of Applied Biology. Nutrition and Food Science and Institute of Bioengineering. Miguel Hernández University, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain
Rogelio Berbel
Department of Applied Biology. Nutrition and Food Science and Institute of Bioengineering. Miguel Hernández University, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain
Ángel Carbonell-Barrachina
Food Quality and Safety Research Group. Miguel Hernández University, 03202 Elche (Alicante) Spain; Centre for Agri-food and Agri-environmental Research and Innovation (CIAGRO-UMH). Miguel Hernández University, 03312 Orihuela (Alicante) Spain
Juan Manuel Zazo
Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. San Juan de Alicante. Medical coordinator at el Raval Health Centre, Elche. General University Hospital of Elche (Alicante), Spain
Javier Aranceta
President of the Spanish Society of Nutrition, Deusto University. 48007 Bilbao Bizkaia. Spain
Enrique Roche
Department of Applied Biology, Nutrition and Food Science and Institute of Bioengineering, Miguel Hernández University, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain; Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL). 03010 Alicante, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; Research Group “Nutrition and Physical Activity”, Spanish Nutrition Society “SEÑ”, 28010 Madrid, Spain
Elena García
Department of Applied Biology, Nutrition and Food Science and Institute of Bioengineering, Miguel Hernández University, 03202 Elche (Alicante), Spain; Food Quality and Safety Research Group. Miguel Hernández University, 03202 Elche (Alicante) Spain.

World Health Organization recommends complementary feeding alongside breastfeeding starting at six months. Infant cereals are among the first complementary foods introduced into children’s diets, playing a vital role in their transition from exclusive breastfeeding to diversified feeding. Although labelling is a critical tool for enabling parents to make informed choices, it often lacks clarity and presents vague or misleading information, especially for products targeted to children. Parents are increasingly vigilant to added sugars, refined flours, and processed ingredients, demanding healthier options and greater transparency. This growing concern underscores the gap between marketing claims and actual nutritional value. This study examined labelling of 56 infant cereal brands available in the Spanish market, categorizing them into rice-, corn-, rice/corn- and multigrain-based products. The analysis focused on regulatory compliance and quantity of sugar present. The research revealed that 75% of the analysed cereal brands contained sugar either through direct addition or via dextrinization (starch hydrolysis). Alarmingly, 35.7% of the selected brands exhibited high free sugar content, with some brands reaching up to 35% total sugar. Multigrain cereals exhibited superior nutritional profiles, offering significantly higher levels of protein and fibre compared to rice- or rice/corn-based brands. Notably, the study highlights that current EU regulations permit total sugar contents ranging from 24.5% to 61%, depending on the cereal's energy content. This may pose a risk to infant health. In light of these findings, we advocate for an urgent update of European legislation concerning the nutritional composition of foods for children under 3 years of age.

Keywords : Added Sugars, Complementary Feeding, Infant Cereals, Labelling, Nutritional Composition. .
Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
International students are more likely to experience mental health issues and increased stress. Mental health is often surrounded by negative societal stigmas that act as barriers to seeking support and tend to lead to greater mental health concerns. International students tend to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers rather than seeking out counseling services. However, this study shows that LGBTQIA+ international students were less likely to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers due to fear of their sexual orientation being discovered and their families finding out about their identity. This study examines how LGBTQIA+ international students talk about their experiences on and off campus in relations to their socioemotional well-being. Specifically, this study sought to better understand the complexities of LGBTQIA+ students’ identities, and the challenges they faced in terms of their socioemotional well-being. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords : international students, socioemotional well-being, mental health, identity development, intersectionality, LGBTQIA