title: Global standard for the composition of infant formula: recommendations of an ESPGHAN coordinated international expert group.
abstract: The Codex Alimentarius Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) develops food standards, guidelines and related texts for protecting consumer health and ensuring fair trade practices globally. The major part of the world's population lives in more than 160 countries that are members of the Codex Alimentarius. The Codex Standard on Infant Formula was adopted in 1981 based on scientific knowledge available in the 1970s and is currently being revised. As part of this process, the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses asked the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition to initiate a consultation process with the international scientific community to provide a proposal on nutrient levels in infant formulae, based on scientific analysis and taking into account existing scientific reports on the subject. ESPGHAN accepted the request and, in collaboration with its sister societies in the Federation of International Societies on Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, invited highly qualified experts in the area of infant nutrition to form an International Expert Group (IEG) to review the issues raised. The group arrived at recommendations on the compositional requirements for a global infant formula standard which are reported here.
authors.affiliation: Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University of Munich, Germany. berthold.koletzko@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koletzko
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Geoff
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cleghorn
authors.forename: Ulysses Fagundes
authors.initials: UF
authors.lastname: Neto
authors.forename: Sarath
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gopalan
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hernell
authors.forename: Quak Seng
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: Hock
authors.forename: Pipop
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jirapinyo
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lonnerdal
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pencharz
authors.forename: Hildegard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pzyrembel
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramirez-Mayans
authors.forename: Raanan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shamir
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Turck
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.forename: Ding
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zong-Yi
mesh_terms: D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005762:Gastroenterology / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000592:standards*; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007391:International Cooperation; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014480:United Nations; D014944:World Health Organization