BfR | Annual Report 2013
50
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) works on the principle of “From Farm to Fork”, according to
which the entire food chain must be accounted for by safety concepts if the end product is to be healthy food.
In addition to the Food Safety Department, the Biological Safety Department and the Safety in the Food Chain
Department are also dedicated to food safety. Results from toxicological, microbiological and nutritional-phys-
iological assessments of food and feed provide the scientific basis for the setting of maximum levels or limit
values. External, independent experts from nine different committees also advise the BfR on an honorary basis
on questions of food safety.
Food Safety
Toddler milk: popular, but not necessary
For several years there has been a variety of products on
the market in Germany which are labelled as children's
milk or toddler milk. Rather than conventional milk, these
are milk substitute drinks based on cow milk protein
which contain lactose and other sugars as well as vegeta-
ble fats. These products are enriched with vitamins and
minerals and in some cases with other, non-essential sub-
stances such as prebiotics, probiotics, taurine or inositol.
To improve their taste, some products contain flavouring
agents such as vanillin. Manufacturers promote them as
being particularly suitable for young children, i.e. children
aged from one to three.
Toddler milk drinks are subject to the provisions of the
German Dietetic Food Ordinance. Therefore they must
have a composition that is suitable to meet the special
dietary requirements of young children. In 2011, the BfR,
however, stated that healthy young children can meet all
their dietary needs by consuming conventional foods. The
BfR also shares the opinion of paediatricians and nutri-
tional scientists that cow's milk is a nutritionally valuable
food. Thus it is recommended that, as part of a balanced
diet, young children consume 300 grams of milk and milk
products with 1.5 percent fat per day.
To find out why parents purchase toddler milk rather than
conventional milk, the BfR conducted an online consumer
survey in which participated over 800 people. As well as
establishing the reasons for and against buying toddler
milk, the survey also investigated possible differences in
drinking behaviour and in other aspects of diet among
children who drink toddler milk or cow milk. The results
show that above all health reasons, but also the presence
of certain ingredients and purportedly better tolerance,
were crucial factors for the purchase of those products.
The survey respondents' children drank toddler milk in
greater quantities than cow milk and more frequently from
a feeding bottle. Toddler milk was not only drunk as a
substitute for conventional milk, but also in addition to or
alternating with it. Furthermore, children who were given
toddler milk did not have a less varied diet than children
who drank cow milk.
Is toddler milk more suitable for the nutrition of small
children than conventional drinking milk?
