Bangkok--11 Dec--124 Communications
Manufacturers of infant and children’s food partner up to form Pediatric Nutrition Manufacturer Association to strengthen their power in supporting exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of every child’s life. Nutritionists are invited to foster cooperation with the government in raising awareness and educating the public about nutritious, safe and suitable feeding for infants.
Chusak Lemongkol, president of Pediatric Nutrition Manufacturer Association (PNMA), said, “Our association supports the WHO’s and the Department of Health’s policy to encourage exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of every child’s life, because breast milk is the best food for every baby. After 6 months, infants should be given other foods that suit their development and requirement, because at that age they need more energy and additional nutrients such as protein, iron, calcium, zinc, iodine and vitamin A. Proper nutrition will help ensure great development and growth, both physically and mentally. As they grow bigger, they also need more energy. Infants age under 5 months can thrive on breast milk alone, as they need about 512-575 Calories. Mothers with sufficient milk supply will not have a problem providing their child with the amount of milk to give enough energy. However, the milk structure changes and mothers produce fewer calories in breast milk as time goes by while the child needs more and more.
“Adequate information on children’s nutrition is very important, especially for mothers who cannot provide their baby with sufficient breast milk. It could be because they are not in good health, or have to work away from home due to economic reasons. Studies show that 86.2% of mothers cannot breastfeed exclusively for 4 months, or cannot breastfeed at all.”
Dr. Sompob Paiboonsirijit, director of PNMA, added, “The main objective of forming this association is to inform and educate the public about correct nutrition for infants and children, so that people can look for the most nutritious and safest food for each child. Our association is ready to support the government to achieve this objective.”
“We are committed to doing our job under good governance and to complying with the WHO’s requirements. We have set up a self-regulation system for our members to monitor their own marketing campaigns. We want to make sure that their campaigns include giving information to doctors, medical staff, and health personnel, to comply with our good governance values, international standards and the WHO’s requirements. Therefore, to support access to useful information about children’s nutrition, we give information to medical staff and parents so that they know about products that are suitable for children age above 6 months. Our association believes that the government and its alliances should allow manufacturers, importers and distributors to give useful and correct information to the public, for the people’s benefits,” he concluded.
Good nutrition is of extreme importance for children’s growth and development. PNMA believes that the industry sector has an important role in pushing for good nutrition in children. Any decision that would affect the consumers’ knowledge on food products for children should be considered thoroughly after discussion with the manufacturers for maximum benefits of the consumers.