New development - the Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (NPPM) in practise

The first draft Nutrient Profile Model for commercially available complementary foods for infants was developed for WHO in 2019. The aim was to drive changes to product composition, labelling and promotion practices in the WHO European Region. We trialled the model with 10 countries across Europe (involving 2634 baby food products) and obtained feedback from key informants. Following this, we refined the categories and nutrient thresholds for ease of use. The model was simplified through clarification of specific food categories. Nutrient requirements by food category were made clearer and promotion/labelling specifications applied to all categories. The final model was renamed the Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (NPPM) to include the importance of appropriate marketing. The final model has 8 product categories: dry cereals/starches; dairy foods; fruit and vegetable purees/smoothies and fruit desserts; savoury meals/meal components; snacks and finger foods; ingredients; confectionery; drinks. The nutrient and ingredient requirements provide guidance on not permitted items such as free sugars/sweeteners, confectionery and flavoured drinks; limiting the fruit content in meals, dry cereals and dairy products; setting maximum levels for energy, sodium and total fat and minimum standards for protein content in meals and energy density. Promotional requirements refer to the age for product consumption (minimum age 6 months). The product name should be clear and indicate contents in descending order, not hiding sweet taste or high fruit content. The ingredients list must state the amount of added water/stock, fruit content and the amount of traditional protein source. Packaging with a spout should note this is not suitable for drinking. Statements on packaging should highlight the importance of continued breastfeeding. Pilot testing of the new model in Turkey on 224 baby foods showed that less than a third of products passed the compositional requirements and all products failed the NPPM promotional requirements. This is in part due to Turkish law allowing health related statements on packaging. Working with stakeholders, we plan to disseminate the tool among key audiences across Europe and beyond to influence policy and support legislation and market change. This seminar will include a 'hands on' demonstration of a new website which includes a NPPM calculator to assess how baby food products perform. You will be able to try the website and calculator to ass