The Role of National Baby Food Manufacturers in Shaping Healthy Lifestyle Habits supported by PROGRESS, a Russian producer of FrutoNyanya baby food. The event was held as part of the Russian Scientific & Practical Conference with international participation “Pharmacotherapy & Dietetics in Pediatrics” and The 4th Congress of the Urals Pediatricians.
The event was inaugurated by Valery Buzin, Adviser to the Russian Minister of Healthcare. The keynote speakers included DHS Maria Gmoshinskaya, Lead Research Associate in the Age Nutritiology Laboratory under the Nutrition & Biotechnology Center; DHS Irina Belyaeva, Professor and Head of Neonatal Service in the Morozov State Children's Clinical Hospital; Dmitry Makarkin, Innovation & Change Management Director at PROGRESS. The discussion was moderated by Leila Namazova-Baranova, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, President of the Russian Union of Pediatricians, Head of Faculty Pediatrics Department at the Pirogov Russian National Medical University under the Russian Ministry of Healthcare and Head of the Pediatrics & Child Health Institute under the Russian Ministry of Science & Higher Education.
The attendees discussed a wide range of matters – how to shape a healthy lifestyle and proper eating habits in young children, need to popularize healthy nutrition among parents as well as global trends in the baby food market.
During his speech, Valery Buzin, Adviser to the Russian Minister of Healthcare, emphasized that a higher quality of children's nutrition is one of the Government priorities.
“Health programming is not easy, but crucial for the Russian medical community. Children's doctors, like no one else, know that nutritional errors can lead to obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Formation of future healthy generation requires lower levels of sugar/salt and nutrition (content of nutrients and vitamins) relevant to children’s age,” Mr Buzin noted.
DHS Irina Belyaeva, Head of Neonatal Service in the Morozov State Children's Clinical Hospital, shared her concerns: “Over 30% of the adult population is obese, and the percentage of obesity in children under 2 years old is growing. Special attention must be paid to educating pregnant women, thereby reducing the risk of obesity in both mothers and children.”
During the event, the specialists touched upon introduction of follow-on products into children’s diet as that is when children’s nutritional behavior is shaped.
“The follow-on products need to be industrially produced. We live in the 21st century, a time of high requirements and need for strict adherence to standards everywhere, especially in nutrition. Sometimes I am asked if home-grown courgettes can be recommended. Unfortunately, I can’t say that the self-made puree from fruit or vegetables grown in one’s own gardens or orchards are completely safe as we cannot be sure that they do not contain anything harmful to baby diet. The orchards might have been treated with strong poison against garden pests or maybe there is a busy highway near the garden or a hazardous chemical production or an airdrome,” Ms Namazova-Baranova, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented.
“A responsible approach is very important when introducing the follow-on products. The recommendation is to start with industrial products and be guided by pediatricians. Parents often introduce non-baby foods into children’s diet or rely on children’s choice. However, the 6-months old children are not capable to make an independent judgement about the product benefits,” DHS Maria Gmoshinskaya, Lead Research Associate in the Age Nutritiology Laboratory under the Nutrition & Biotechnology Center, explained.
“As a baby food manufacturer, we pay special attention to the composition and quality of our products. PROGRESS has an accredited in-house testing center where we exercise additional control of both raw materials and finished products. What is especially important is that, following the international trends, our Company has been removing sugar from its multi-component fruit puree since 2018,” Dmitry Makarkin, Innovation & Change Management Director at PROGRESS.