ASCIA Infant Feeding Advice

The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) has published new advice on when to introduce solid foods to infants' diet, including foods that are considered to be allergenic. This move is further to their intention to recommend to the National Health and Medical Research Council a change from the current government advice of introducing solids around 6 months.

The new advice is based on recent evidence, which is inconsistent with current recommendations to delay the introduction of solids foods beyond six months to prevent food allergies from developing in children. While stressing the importance of continued breast-feeding during the time when solid foods are introduced to the infant's diet, ASCIA consider that the practice of delaying the introduction of solids until six months could raise the allergy risk, and four months is a better age for babies to begin building up immune tolerance to some basic foods.

In a related press release, ASCIA state there are even some limited studies which suggest that delayed introduction of solid foods beyond six months of age may actually be to blame for an increased risk of food allergy, coeliac disease and autoimmunity, although further studies are needed to confirm this.

The European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) and the American Association of Paediatrics (AAP) have also recently updated their advice regarding introduction of solid foods to infants.

It is interesting to note that the minimum age labelling requirements in the ANZFSC, Standard 2.9.2 'Food for Infants' is currently aligned with the ASCIA advice. However as part of FSANZ Proposal 274 'Minimum Age Labelling in Foods for Infants' the preferred regulatory approach is seeking to align the minimum age labelling requirements with the current NHMRC and WHO Guidelines of introducing solids at around 6 months. Timing for the FSANZ final decision is March 2009.

You can view the guidelines here.