Nestlé’s research on children’s nutrition, health and lifestyle will be extended to 10 countries by the end of next year.
Comprising of two studies, namely: Kids Nutrition and Health Study (KNHS) and Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS), the research reveals the lifestyles, eating habits, behavioural factors and nutrient intakes of adolescents and children in the US -- particularly kids in the age bracket of 0-12, which is supposed to be the crucial habit-forming period that would impact the rest of their lives.
According to a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2009-2012, data taken from evaluating the eating habits of 3,647 children and adolescents (4-13 years), showed that this age group were in the practice of routinely skipping lunch.
Nearly 23% of kids aged 9-13 even skipped lunch on weekends. This led to decreased intake of nutrients such as fibre, calcium, potassium, vitamin D, magnesium and even the vital sodium in such kids.
The analysed data was presented at the American Society of Nutrition conference 2015 in a poster session called "What Happened to Lunch? Dietary Intakes of 4-13 Year Old Lunch Consumers and Non-Consumers in the United States".
Vice-president of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Nestlé USA, Timothy A. Morck stated: "Nestlé will rely on FITS and KNHS learnings to continually improve the nutritional profiles of our products that address unmet nutritional needs, as well as communications, programmes and services to inform healthcare providers, parents and caregivers."
After the FITS study, Nestlé changed the Gerber Graduates meals in the US by adjusting the composition of the diet with the inclusion of vegetables and fruits.
Nestlé's combined product sales in the US in 2014 amounted to over $26bn, making the US the food firm's largest market.
