Formulated nutrition from fresh milk: Golden nutrition helps children develop comprehensively

Formulated Nutrition Products: A Rising Star in Developed Countries

Attend the Workshop"Nutritional products formulated from fresh milk - Golden nutrition for the golden age, helping children develop comprehensively"As speakers, Dr. Clair - Yves Boquien - Center for Research on Human Nutrition - France (CRNH) and Dr. Alwine Kardinaal - Head of Nutrition and Health Department - NIZO Center for Food and Health Research (Netherlands) shared about the current situation and trends in the use of nutritional formula products in developed countries.

In the discussion section there is a topic"The importance of formula nutrition in the early years of a child's life", Dr. Clair -Yves Boquien emphasized that the first years of life are the most important stage of physical development for young children. Proper nutrition plays a very important role in reducing mortality and the risk of disease throughout life, promoting the continuous physical and mental development of children.

However, micronutrient deficiencies in children occur in many parts of the world, including developed countries with leading economies. This micronutrient deficiency can occur throughout the child's development, especially during the period of 6 months and older.

“Investing in positive nutrition at a young age brings long-term benefits to individuals, families and countries,” Dr. Boquien affirmed. At the same time, he also shared the process of optimizing infant formula nutrition products that has been researched by scientists around the world for nearly 200 years and many breakthroughs are making products increasingly useful for the development of young children.

In the presentation "World trends in formula nutrition for children", Dr. Alwine Kardinaal said that although there are many different names, formula nutrition products all refer to drinks made from milk or have vegetable protein sources, meeting the nutritional needs of children from 1 year old and up.

In fact, there are no general regulations on the concept and nutritional composition of this product, but many countries require the product to meet the International Food Standards (CODEX) on energy, protein, starch, fat, vitamins and other specific minerals.

One common point that Dr. Kardinaal often mentioned is that infant formula products need to have ingredients, natural or organic origin. This trend is especially strong in Europe and is also spreading around the world.

In the rapidly developing trend of formula nutrition products, there are factors that are given special attention such as Probiotics, Breast Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO) or Soluble Fiber (GOS/FOS)….

"New ingredients that help formula products have a composition closer to breast milk have received special attention in recent years. These ingredients can provide a more diverse diet for children of different ages," Dr. Kardinaal emphasized.

Current situation and solutions to Vietnam's problems

At the workshop, "startling" figures on micronutrient deficiencies in Vietnamese children were announced. According to the results of the 2019-2020 National Nutrition Survey conducted by the National Institute of Nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies in children under 5 years old nationwide are 58% zinc deficient, 19.6% anemic, and the rate of stunting is 19.6%.

The rate of stunting malnutrition in school-age children, from 5 to 19 years old, is 14.8%. The rate of overweight and obesity in school-age children increased from 8.5% in 2010 to 19% in 2020, of which, in urban areas, it reached 26.8%. Although the height of Vietnamese youth has increased - currently the average height of men is 168.1 cm, and of women is 156.2 cm, it is still lower than many countries in the region and lower than WHO standards. Research by the Southeast Asian Nutrition Organization also shows that the daily meals of Vietnamese children lack up to 50% of micronutrient needs....

Sharing the same view with international experts, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lam - former Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, affirmed the importance of proper nutritional intervention to give children the opportunity to develop comprehensively. After 6 months of age, children can use appropriate nutritional supplementary formula products.

Associate Professor, Dr. Lam said that, in addition to a diet with starch, vegetables and proteins from meat, fish, etc., nutritional formula products supplementing essential nutrients are one of the suitable choices in supplementary foods to make up for the gaps in breast milk during this period, helping children develop comprehensively.

In the discussion on Nutritional Status and Intervention Strategies in Vietnam, Dr. Nguyen Song Tu of the National Institute of Nutrition cited many figures showing that the rate of malnutrition and stunting in Vietnamese children, although gradually decreasing, is still high compared to many developed countries in the region and the world. Along with that, the rate of anemia and zinc deficiency in Vietnamese children is also high, especially in the midland and mountainous areas.