On July 10, 2024, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland announced the 2024 Formula Reform target for complementary food products for infants and young children, which will adjust the formula of complementary food products marketed to infants and young children under 36 months, aiming to reduce the energy (sugar) of the target products by 20% and the saturated fat and salt by 10% in the future. Measures are as follows:

(1) Formula reform of sugar content: According to the infant feeding Guidelines in Ireland, no sugar or sweetener should be added as an ingredient in complementary food products for infants and young children, while limiting and reducing the amount of macerated fruit, fruit puree or fruit puree added to the ingredients, and not masking the taste of less sweet or bitter vegetables with sweet vegetables. Finally, it is stipulated that the energy (calories) from total sugar should be less than 15% in salty meals and snacks sold on the market;

(2) Formula reform of salt/sodium content: the sodium content of all complementary food products for infants and young children should be limited to ≤50mg/100kcal, except for salty meal products and dairy products, if the product name on the front of the package is marked with cheese, the sodium content threshold will be higher, ≤100mg/100kcal. Products made from 100 percent fruits and vegetables will not be subject to sodium content targets to reflect the sodium naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables.

Learn more: https://www.fsai.ie/publications/food-reformulation-task-force-reformulation-target