Children's noodles, children's dumplings, children's milk, ......"Children's food" abounds on the market. However, an investigation by Beijing** reporters found thatMost "children's food" is in the ingredientsIt's not much different from ordinary foodBut it's a lot higher. Some "children's foods" are even made by adding sugarto cater to the child's taste,On the contrary, it is not good for health. 
Children's food area in the supermarket (Source: Beijing ** client).One.
Label as a childWorth a lot**
Considering that her daughter, who is almost two years old, likes to eat noodles, Ms. Cheng made a special trip to a chain of maternal and baby products stores. "The noodles eaten by adults are generally high in salt, so I am afraid that it will not be good for children's health, so it is better to buy special ones for infants and young children. On the shelves, there are a variety of products such as infant beef and tomato nutritious noodles, pork liver and spinach nutritious noodles, and colorful butterfly noodles. "A box is only 200 grams, which costs 39 yuan, which is much more expensive than ordinary noodles. Ms. Cheng opened the e-commerce platform and found that the baby noodles sold online were also very expensive. The reporter searched for "children's dumplings" on the e-commerce platform and found that most of the products emphasized "tailor-made for children". Taking a children's dumpling as an example, the merchant launched three flavors of beef carrot, shrimp three fresh, and pork mushrooms, with only 135 grams per bag and a price of up to 299 yuan, which is equivalent to about 22 yuan per 100 grams. Ordinary dumplings with similar flavors are usually only 2 to 5 yuan per 100 grams. Judging from the product standard code, this children's dumpling does not have many special features, and it implements the "National Food Safety Standard for Quick-frozen Noodles and Prepared Food" (GB 19295-2021) with ordinary dumplings. In fact, in addition to staple foods such as noodles and dumplings, "children's food" is also widely used in many categories. In a supermarket near Beijing's East Fifth Ring Road, a "children's zone" has been set up on the shelves. According to the reporter's observation, there are not only snacks such as cheese and cod intestines, seaweed crisps, but also condiments such as soy sauce and walnut oil. And these "children's foods"* are generally higher than similar ordinary products. 
Although a children's growth milk is small, the price is very high (Source: Beijing ** client).II. II. IISweetened to cater to the taste, the ingredients hide a routine
Mellow and good taste, children love to drink "......".On the e-commerce platform, a children's growth milk is also selling very hot. It is worth noting that there is another mystery in the "good taste" pursued by merchants. In the ingredient list, the ingredient after raw milk is white sugar. The reporter's investigation found that similar operations are not unique. Another children's growth milk emphasizes that the product "adds a variety of nutrients to care for healthy growth in 360 degrees". However, a closer look at the ingredient list revealed that in addition to raw milk, water, white sugar, fructooligosaccharides, food additives, multivitamins, DHA algae oil and food flavors are also added. 
A children's growth milk contains white sugar, and the nutritional content is not high (Source: Beijing **client).
From the nutrition facts list, the protein content per 100 ml of milk is only 24 grams, while the protein content of ordinary pure milk is mostly not less than 30 grams. In addition, the calcium content per 100 ml of milk is only 85 mg, which is also lower than the calcium content of ordinary pure milk, which is not "more nutritious" at all. In contrast, another organic children's milk contains crystalline fructose, although it does not contain added sugar. This sweetener has the characteristics of low calorie and high sweetness. Many parents have found that sweet milk is indeed popular with their children, but at the cost that it is difficult to accept plain milk. The reporter found that at first glance, the protein content of children's milk is as high as 6 grams. But if you look closely, the unit used for children's milk is "per serving", which is 200 ml. In summary, this children's milk contains 3 grams of protein per 100 ml, which is no advantage over ordinary milk. In fact, it is not only children's milk that plays the routine, but also children's cod intestines that sell a considerable price. "I looked at the label that it was written that the baby was born, but when I opened it, I saw a lot of ingredients list, and I didn't dare to give it to the baby at all. In the comment area, some parents were surprised to find that this cod sausage itself uses frozen minced meat containing white sugar. In addition, edible salt, white sugar and potassium sorbate are added. Judging from the nutrition facts list, the sodium content per 100 grams of cod intestine is as high as 796 mg. When the reporter asked how old this product is suitable for children, the customer service replied, "Over 1 year old can crush cod intestines into puree and mix with other foods, and over 2 years old can try to let the baby eat on his own." However, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022), the recommended daily intake of sodium for children aged 1 to 4 years is 700 mg. This means that if you eat 100 grams of cod intestines, you will already be getting more sodium than you eat, even if you don't eat any other food that day. 
A children's cod intestine has a high sodium content (source: Beijing ** client).
No flavors, no monosodium glutamate, no coloring, no sugar, no preservatives, no compound flavors" ......Judging by the hype, another cod intestine for children with a nominal age of 3 and above seems to be healthier. However, the reporter found that the ingredient list still contained edible salt. In the nutrition facts list, 75 mg of sodium looks much lower. But after careful identification, the reporter found that this is the sodium content per 10 grams, and if according to the conventional standard, the sodium content per 100 grams of cod intestines is still as high as 750 milligrams. Three
Reminder: Don't trust the efficacy to avoid taste dependence
"The so-called 'children's food' is mostly just a marketing strategy. With the exception of infant formula and complementary food for infants and young children, there is no need for any other 'children's food' and parents do not need to buy such food. ”Ruan Guangfeng, deputy director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center, saidIn terms of nutritional needs, there is no significant difference between the food eaten after the age of 3 and the food of the average adult. "In fact, China's national standards have no special provisions for children's food after the age of 36 months, and can be produced and managed in accordance with ordinary foods. The reporter learned that Article 12 of the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Food Labeling (Draft for Comments) issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation also mentions"In the absence of laws, regulations, rules and food safety standards, words or patterns shall not be used on food labels to express, imply or emphasize that the product is suitable for specific groups of people such as infants, children, the elderly, and pregnant women. ”"As a parent, what you should really worry about is that your child will develop the bad habit of choosing food by color, taste, shape and packaging from an early age. Nguyen Quang Phong said"Children's food" is not necessarily healthier. The vast majority of "children's foods" on the market today tend to make a big deal about flavor and texture, but the consequences of this are likely to come at the cost of adding unhealthy ingredients. For example, the use of sugar to sweeten is the simplest and most effective way to attract children, but it can easily increase the risk of obesity and tooth decay. "A child's taste is developed gradually. Ruan Guangfeng reminded that if children are allowed to eat too many heavy flavors from an early age to increase children's appetite, they will become more and more dependent on taste and the taste will become heavier and heavier. "The heavier your mouth is when you are younger, the more difficult it is to control your salt requirements when you grow up, and the higher the risk of high blood pressure. Ruan Guangfeng also suggested that the usual addition of various nutritional fortifiers in "children's food" should be viewed rationally. "As long as these nutritional fortifiers are added, they will be sold much more expensive, in fact, they are not cost-effective, and these nutrients can be obtained through other foods. "Nguyen Guangfeng proposed that in terms of children's diet,Parents should not blindly believe in the dazzling "efficacy" of "children's food", but should carefully check the ingredient list and nutrition content list to understand the real nutritional value of food, help children choose suitable food, enrich the variety of food as much as possible, and guide children to develop healthy eating habits with balanced nutrition. When choosing food for their children, parents should pay attention to the following:
1.Learn to check the ingredient listWhen buying packaged food, the first thing to pay attention to is the main ingredients, and the first place on the ingredient list is best to be all-natural food.
2.Don't buy foods that have a strong flavor and are pungentWhen buying food for children, try not to choose snacks that are not good for health such as high salt, sugar, and oil, and do not buy foods with strong flavors and strong irritation, but can choose more seasonal fruits and nuts.
3.Be varied in your foodChildren should eat cereals three times a day, often eat some milk, beans or their products, eat some lean meat, poultry, eggs and fish in moderation, and eat more vegetables and fruits.
4. Choose shopping rationallyParents should not blindly believe in the dazzling "efficacy" of "children's food", and should rationally choose products for shopping.
This article** Beijing ** client (reporter Zong Yuanyuan), civilized Hubei***
Editor-in-charge: Zhao Li.