The benefits of organic food for children

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It has been said that perhaps the most significant choice we can make in terms of enhancing our own health and that of the environment is to eat organic food. I would say that there is an even more important and significant choice, and that is to choose to feed your children organic food as far as possible.

The decision to feed our children organic food arises from a primary position we are required to take as custodians of our children’s diet. This position involves acquiring knowledge and developing awareness of the ingredients in the food we eat. How often have you seen a 2-year-old child, or one even younger, drinking a well-known red can of soft drink or a so-called ‘energy drink’ (from the same supplier ironically enough!)? I often wonder if the parents or guardians of these children realise what the 13 spoons of sugar or the caffeine (to mention only one or two of the many ingredients in the soft drink) do to that child’s sensitive young system.

More often than not food for children, whether in the form of packaged biscuits, a ‘children’s menu’ in a restaurant, or fast food, means food that is over-processed, over-flavoured, over-coloured and generally high in sugar, fat and salt. As is the case in most developed countries, the food industry in South Africa, is focused on convenience, price and so-called kids’ appeal. Ironically the baby food industry is fairly well regulated worldwide, but the moment the baby becomes a toddler s/he is subject to a food industry with no guidelines and certainly no legislation regarding the nutritional quality of the food it serves toddlers and kids.

Nutrition and food choices play a crucial role in the development of conditions such as obesity, asthma and diabetes. Healthier foods and food choices can help to prevent the onset of serious chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, osteoporosis and about one-third of cancers.1-3 Before they reach their teens children can show the first signs of cardiovascular disease in their arterial walls, and by this age girls have already begun to lay down the nutritional base for their future pregnancies, which in turn will affect the fetus and long-term health of their children.4,5

Unethical techniques used to market children’s food give unhealthy foods an unfair advantage over healthier options, most often as a result of a cash-flush brand promoting a new product. They use popular cartoon characters, competitions and ‘stars’ in promotions and come with free gifts, tokens or offers. In the UK a recent study showed that advertisements on children’s television for unhealthy foods far outnumber those for healthy options.6 The fact is our children want to eat what they see advertised, and fruit and vegetables don’t come with fancy labels, etc. so the motivation to eat them is lacking.

As parents we add to this process by frequently choosing foods that can be prepared quickly or that the child can eat ‘on the go’, but these foods are often high in fat/saturated fat/sugar/salt. Colourants, flavourants and preservatives are also major culprits in children’s foods and often occur where you least expect them such as in the seemingly harmless ‘fruit juice’ you thought you were buying. Let us consider flavourants as an example.

Flavourants are the key ingredient in most of the big brands of fast foods and drinks, and are generally used to boost the taste of food because it contains less of the real ingredients than the consumer expects. An entire industry exists in New York state (USA) to service the large well-known (and international) fast food, burger and chicken brands. If you thought the flavour came from cooking only that which you are biting into, think again.7 There are multimillion dollar factories that manufacture these flavours and provide them to the food industry, particularly the fast food industry. It is a secretive business and the industry protects its ‘brands’ jealously. Obviously the fast food chains would like us to believe that these flavours originate in their kitchens – this is absolutely not the case.

The term ‘flavourant’ on a label can be used to cover over 4 000 different chemicals, however all the label has to declare is the word ‘flavourants’. Flavourants in the food industry come in various forms ranging from ‘artificial’, through to ‘nature identical’, ‘natural’ and ‘flavour from the natural fruit’. Artificial and nature-identical flavours are created synthetically from various chemical compounds. Natural flavourants are supposed to be made from natural ingredients only and are normally created in a laboratory from a variety of unrelated natural flavours, i.e. flavours from natural vanilla, apple, carrot and buchu may be used to create a new flavour unrelated to any of the individual components. Flavour from natural fruit is the least ‘changed’ flavourant and the most ideal if you have to have something containing flavourants. Current legislation in this country does not require a food or beverage manufacturer to differentiate between these flavourants on any ingredient list.

Other products on ingredient lists that bear consideration are those used to ‘bulk up’ food, even appallingly enough, baby food. These products contribute virtually no nutritional value, often adversely affect taste and are used predominantly to increase the mass or ‘bulk’ of a product and allow the manufacturer to produce a cheaper product and sell at higher margins. The culprits in this category include the following: maltodextrin, starch, modified starch and modified maize starch. These ingredients should at least be banned from products forming a significant part of children’s diets.

Another major cause of concern are pesticides and herbicides in our children’s diets. The maximum allowable residue levels in most foods are dictated by government, however levels are checked and policed infrequently, and even less often when the food is processed rather than fresh.

The most important point when discussing organic food and children is the sensitivity of the young child’s body systems. This starts with the introduction of ‘solid’ food, which is generally accepted to be anywhere from 4 months onward. Any number of parents have been heard to comment on the taste of the bottled baby food on the market today. What we often don’t realise as adults is that children have more than three times as many taste receptors in their mouths than adults. In basic terms this means that things taste many times more strongly to a baby! This puts a whole new meaning on the addition of sugar and salt to baby food. This is done more or less as a matter of course in South Africa, while it is not considered the norm at all in the rest of the world. This brings up another interesting point with regard to our awareness of the food we eat versus food eaten in the rest of the world. Some international food corporations have strict guidelines on certain food issues in Europe, but no local equivalent. A good example would be Nestle South Africa. Nestle has removed GM (genetically modified) ingredients from its products in Europe, Australasia and the Far East, however they have not done so and have no intention of doing so in South Africa.

What can parents do in light of the above?

Where possible we can always try to use organic or biodynamic food and ingredients. Both are least likely to contain any pesticide residues and their rules explicitly prohibit the use of synthetic colourants, flavourants and preservatives. For you to be assured of this, the product may only be called organic or biodynamic if the growing/manufacturing process has been inspected by a third-party accredited certifier. Look for the certifier’s label on the product and demand it if it is not indicated.

As far as possible we can educate ourselves to understand our children’s dietary needs. Don’t rely on the food industry, well-known brands or the government to ensure that the food your child eats is safe, nutritious or suitable. It is up to you to be informed about what constitutes a healthy wholesome diet. Try to learn and understand more. Try to keep an eye on the levels of salt, sugar and fat your child ingests in the course of a day and pay particular attention to hidden salts, sugar and fats contained in convenience food and food eaten away from home.

Until your children reach their late teens always try to buy food that is free from those colourings, preservatives and flavourings that have been banned in other countries or that are considered unsafe by reliable support groups or people you consider to be experts, even though these additives may still be used in the mainstream in South Africa. I have included some resources at the end of this article.

Be cautious. Try to avoid the ‘children’s menu’ or special children’s packaging/branding unless you are sure it is nutritious, wholesome and free from unnecessary additives and fillers.

Be informed. Insist that the children’s food you buy is adequately labelled with the weight, top eight nutrients, and even better the percentage of each ingredient. If it isn’t listed on the label, complain to the shop or the manufacturer and insist that they change their labelling. We under-utilise our biggest strength, which lies in our ability as consumer/customers to change the industry and the labelling. Lobbying and pressure on government in this regard are sadly lacking, with only one or two stalwarts doing all the work. Get involved and make a difference!

This article originally appeared in the SA Journal of Natural Medicine