Unlike natural foods, where parents decide what the baby can be given, a formula-based diet for babies is a different ball game altogether. When brand manufacturers decide how and what the baby should be fed, it’s most important that consumers make the right choice. The risks from infant formula range from eczema to asthma and diabetes and even leukaemia and sudden infant death syndrome.

A study by Consumer Voice magazine investigated all the sensitive aspects of baby food and went on to rank the 10 popular brands on parameters that matter the most — protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, organoleptic (sensory) properties and micro-biological requirements.

Baby food has to be free of starch. And needless to say, toxins from mould. Packaging is an important factor.

A detailed study was done because these substitutes often replace mother’s milk and are expected to be rich in protein, fat and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

The tests were for Vitamin A, Vitamin D, thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, folic acid, panthothenic acid, biotin, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, nicotinic acid and Vitamin E.

The products were also scanned for minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, iodine, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, copper, manganese, zinc and selenium, besides heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, tin, cadmium and copper.

The microbiological tests were meant to detect the presence of bacterial count, coliform count, Staphylococcus aurous, salmonella, shigella, E. coli, yeast and mould.

The sensory tests related to colour, flavour, odour and after-taste, which go a long way in making a baby accept food.

The good news was that there were no issues related to packaging, fat content, solubility and carbohydrate content. Rated on a one to 100 scale, brands such as Farex, Dexolac, Nan, Lactogen, Lactodex, Zerolac, Amul Spray, Easum and Nestum were neck to neck in the 71-90 band (Very Good). However, none scaled the 90-plus mark (Excellent), while in the milk cereal-based complementary food category, Cerelac was a tad lower.

In the follow-up formula-complementary foods, Farex led the pack with 86.62, Dexolac (84.32), Nan (84.05), Lactogen (83.17) and Lactodex (82.58). Among the infant milk substitutes, Zerolac at 85.76 was closely followed by Amul Spray at 83.49.

In the processed cereal-based complementary category, Easum at 84.54 was ahead of Nestum (81.43).

Though this study was conducted about 12 months ago, the findings are relevant as such comparative tests are rare.

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