For a while now, many parents have been eager to buy food labeled as “children’s food”. This has led to a growing variety and a larger market for such food. However, many industry experts have pointed out that currently in China, there is no specific category for “children’s food”. “Children’s food” lacks specific laws, regulations, and national food safety standards. In fact, it has become more of a marketing tool. Experts suggest that a scientific and standardized certification system should be established for “children’s food”, similar to green food, organic food, and children’s medicine, to truly meet the special growth and development needs of children in aspects like physical health, bone development, and brain development. (As reported in the Legal Daily on April 18th)
Although “children’s food” is not a legally defined category, the concept has some rationality. Just as clothing is divided into regular and children’s types, and medicines are categorized into adult and children’s versions, and milk powder is designed for different age groups of children, it seems reasonable to have special food for children. Moreover, children are in a stage of rapid physical development and have different nutritional requirements compared to adults. They are also more sensitive to problem foods. Designating “children’s food” as a category and setting higher standards for it is both scientifically sound and in line with social expectations.
Currently, food labeled as “children’s food” is quite common. It fills the food shelves, and many supermarkets even have special counters for it. The market penetration of “children’s food” is increasing. This is mainly due to factors such as merchants fabricating concepts and using marketing tactics. But merchants’ marketing efforts are not without a consumer base. The public’s concern for children’s food safety and their willingness to spend more on food for their children’s health drive the popularity of “children’s food” in the market.
Also, considering that society shows special care for children and believes that “children’s food” is better than ordinary food, the existence of “children’s food” is understandable. Whether people like it or not, “children’s food” has become an objective reality, both on the shelves and in consumers’ minds. It’s a market opportunity that merchants are reluctant to give up. However, in the absence of standards and norms, merchants set their own standards and hold the power of interpretation. This results in uneven quality and other issues. When quality and safety problems occur, there are no specific standards to clearly identify the problems and determine how to improve. The supervision of “children’s food” also becomes a complex issue.
There has been chaos related to “children’s food” for a long time. Besides improper marketing and deliberate hype by merchants, the lack of classification, unclear characterization, and absence of standards are important reasons. In May 2020, the China Subsidiary Food Circulation Association released the first domestic standard for “children’s snacks” – the “General Requirements for Children’s Snacks” group standard. It stipulates that children’s snacks should not contain trans fatty acids and should have lower amounts of added sugar, salt, and oil. However, currently, there are few such standards, and they are not mandatory, making it difficult to effectively regulate children’s food, including children’s snacks.
Relevant departments should quickly clarify the specific classification of children’s food, formulate corresponding regulations, introduce industry standards and supervision measures, and put forward specific requirements for the raw materials, nutritional components, and food additives of children’s food according to different age groups. This will shift the situation from merchants having the final say to regulations and standards governing “children’s food”. It will ensure that “children’s food” truly meets the needs of children’s growth and development and is no longer just a marketing gimmick but an ideal food for children’s healthy growth.
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