Baby Food Marketing to Latino Parents Does Not Align with Expert Opinion

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Parents, pediatricians, and health providers, especially those serving Hispanic communities, should be aware of the extensive marketing for sugar-sweetened toddler milk and nutritional supplement brands aimed at Latino parents.

Marketing infant formula to pregnant Latinas is associated with reduced rates of initiating breastfeeding, shorter duration of breastfeeding, and increased use of formula.

According to Baby Food FACTS, a new report released today by the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, nearly 60% of infant and toddler food and drink advertising dollars promoted products that are not recommended for young children, including sugar-sweetened toddler milk.

The American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) do not recommend serving toddler milk, yet Pediasure, Enfagrow, and Nido toddler drinks were the only baby or toddler food or drink brands to advertise on Spanish-language TV in 2015. These drinks contain added sweeteners, including sugar, glucose syrup solids, honey, and corn syrup solids.

Download the Baby Food FACTS report and share with family, friends, and coworkers and tell them that baby food marketing to Latino parents does not alight with expert opinion. The report examines the nutritional content of food and drink products marketed to parents for their babies and toddlers (up to age 3). The report also examines the messages used to promote these products and how well the marketing messages correspond with expert advice on feeding young children.

Join @SaludToday on Twitter for a #SaludTues Tweetchat with @UConnRuddCenter about this report on Tuesday, November 15, at 1:00 pm EST.