The four questions raised by the standard on foods for young children

The NF V90-001 standard allows manufacturers and farmers to contribute to the dissemination of information on the specific nutritional needs of children from birth to 3 years of age by affixing a graphic symbol. Here are our explanations in four points.

Why was a standard created for infant foods?

Parents sometimes have unfounded fears about ready-to-eat products. Some seek to avoid foods containing preservatives, for example, even though these are prohibited by French regulations on foods intended for infants and young children (under 3 years of age). Another factor is that pediatricians observe that parents follow their recommendations until their child's first birthday, but may feel helpless when it comes to the sensitive stage of introducing solid foods. The voluntary standard provides answers to both of these issues. Its application should help guide parents and healthcare professionals in choosing foods for young children.

Which foods are covered by the NF V90-001 standard and what does it require?

The voluntary standard applies to foods intended for children aged 0 to 3 years—excluding dietary supplements—distributed on the French market, whether they are ready-to-eat products or products intended for meal preparation, at home or in a nursery, for example. For manufacturers and producers, this standard sets requirements for the provision of messages and information, recommendations on nutrition for young children, the environment, and even parents' behavior during meals. All of these elements are available on the website www.alimentationdutoutpetit.fr and must be brought to the attention of consumers in one way or another by professionals who wish to participate in this program.

How can you identify a product that complies with the standard?

A graphic symbol, presented in the appendix to the standard, is proposed to facilitate the identification of products that comply with standard NF V90-001. Manufacturers or industrialists may therefore decide, on their own initiative, to affix this symbol to their products when they consider that they meet the requirements of the standard. This constitutes a self-declaration. Professionals who decide to affix the symbol do so under their own responsibility. If the product in question does not meet the requirements of the regulations and the standard, affixing this symbol may constitute deception and the professional may be subject to the penalties provided for in the Consumer Code.

Who developed the NF V90-001 standard?

The French Specialized Nutrition Union (Syndicat Français de la Nutrition Spécialisée) established a standardization committee representing all interested parties. This standardization committee brought together producers, manufacturers, health professionals, representatives from the ministries of agriculture, health, and the economy, via the fraud prevention department, and scientific experts. The national standard NF V90-001 is therefore the result of a collective effort. In five years' time, AFNOR will bring together the members of the standardization commission to gather their feedback: the voluntary standard may be updated, maintained as is, or even withdrawn, if the stakeholders so wish.