Snacks for children = junk food
This is the subconscious view of many parents
But are all snacks harmful to health?
First of all
We need to understand what a children's snack is
A new definition of snacking for children
In May 2020, the China Non-staple Food Circulation Association officially released the group standard of "General Requirements for Children's Snacks", which is the first time that the mainland has introduced a new standard for snacks for children aged 3 to 12.
Snacks are defined in the standard as foods that are used to replenish energy, balance nutrition or increase hydration, in addition to meals, and can relax and enjoy a pleasant mood. Children's snacks are snacks that are suitable for children aged 3 to 12 years.
From this point of view
Children's snacks ≠ junk food
so
Shop for children's snacks
And what should I pay attention to?
Three "less"
A little salt
The chemical name of the "salt" we usually eat is "sodium chloride" and is composed of sodium and chlorine. Sodium is an element needed for the body to work normally, but when too much sodium in the diet, it will increase the burden on the kidneys and even cause damage to the liver and kidneys.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016), the daily salt intake of children aged 2-3 years should not exceed 2 grams, children aged 4-6 years should not exceed 3 grams, and children aged 7-10 years should not exceed 4 grams.
According to the continental standard GB 28050-2011 "National Standard for Food Safety General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods", except for some exempt foods, the nutritional content values of protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium must be marked on the nutritional composition list of all prepackaged foods. Therefore, when parents buy children's snacks, they can try to choose foods with low sodium content by observing the nutrition facts list.
Two less sugars
Most children's snacks contain more or less sugar, which is also the biggest attraction for children. However, excessive sugar intake will not only increase the risk of dental caries in children, but also increase children's excessive energy intake, which can easily cause problems such as obesity and diabetes. It should be noted that in children's snacks, in addition to the common sucrose and white sugar, it is also necessary to pay attention to other sugar substances such as maltose, lactose, glucose, fructose syrup, concentrated fruit juice, honey and so on.
Three less oil
Excessive intake of oil, easy to lead to children obesity, obesity is not only the culprit that causes many diseases, but also may cause precocious puberty in children, so be sure to pay attention to the choice of low-fat snacks.
According to GB 7718-2011 "National Standard for Food Safety General Rules for Prepackaged Food Labeling", the ingredient list belongs to the mandatory labeling content of food labels, and various ingredients should be arranged one by one according to the decreasing order of the amount added to the food (in terms of quality); the ingredients added to no more than 2% can be listed in no decreasing order. That is to say, the ranking of ingredients is arranged according to the content, the ingredients with high content will be written in the front, and parents can choose low-fat products by interpreting the food ingredient list when purchasing children's snacks.
Two "None"
No trans fatty acids
The General Requirements for Children's Snacks clearly require that the oils used in children's snacks should not contain trans fatty acids.
It should be noted that trans fatty acids have many aliases, such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, hydrogenated oil, margarine, artificial fat, shortening, vegetable fat powder, creamer and so on. Therefore, when buying snacks, pay special attention to the nutrition facts list, which will indicate whether trans fatty acids are contained.
Two no-irradiation treatment
The irradiation process is a relatively common sterilization process, which can extend the shelf life of the product, but will destroy the nutrients in the food, such as vitamins, proteins, etc., which is easy to cause nutrient loss and cannot guarantee the nutritional needs of children.
In the "General Requirements for Children's Snacks", it is also clearly required that the raw materials used in snacks should not be irradiated or microwaved.
GB 7718-2011 "National Standard for Food Safety General Rules for Labeling Prepackaged Foods" stipulates that food treated by the irradiation process should be marked "irradiated food" near the name of the food. Therefore, when parents choose snacks for children, they can judge whether the food has been irradiated by paying attention to the product information on the packaging.
Irradiated food labels
Children's snacks are not equal to junk food, parents do not have to let their children and snacks be completely "insulated", learn to read food nutrition labels, and scientifically choose healthy snacks for their children is the key.
Contributed by: Municipal Quality Inspection Institute