title: Home-made and commercial complementary meals in German infants: results of the DONALD study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infant complementary food can be home-made or bought as ready-to-eat commercial products. The nutrient composition of commercial products is regularised in a European Commission guideline, whereas the preparation of home-made complementary meals is the responsibility of caregivers. In the present study, the composition of commercial and home-made complementary meals as eaten by healthy German infants was compared.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of 8226 complementary meals (74% commercial and 26% home-made) recorded in 1083, 3-day weighed dietary records from 396 participants (6-12 months old) of the German DONALD (DOrtmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed) study were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median energy density (kcal 100 g(-1)) was highest in commercial and home-made cereal-milk meals (89 kcal 100 g(-1)). In home-made savoury and cereal-fruit meals, the energy density was significantly higher compared to their commercial counterparts. Median protein contents were highest in savoury and cereal-milk meals (>2.5 g 100 g(-1)) and dairy-fruit meals (2-4 g 100 g(-1)). Added sugars were found in less than a quarter of meals. Highest median sodium contents were found not only in commercial savoury meals (median 38 mg 100 g(-1)) and vegetable meals (32 mg 100 g(-1)), but also in home-made cereal-milk meals (36 mg 100 g(-1)). Both median fat and iron contents were higher in home-made meals compared to commercial savoury and cereal-fruit meals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the exception of the higher sodium content in commercial savoury meals for older infants, the lower fat content in commercial savoury and cereal-fruit meals, and the added sugar content in some commercial dairy-fruit meals, a comparison of commercial and home-made complementary meals did not reveal any serious inadequacy.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Child Nutrition (FKE), Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hilbig
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, DONALD Study, University of Bonn, Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Foterek
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Child Nutrition (FKE), Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kersting
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, DONALD Study, University of Bonn, Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Alexy
mesh_terms: D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004034:Diet Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009753:Nutritive Value
keywords: commercial; complementary food; home-made; infant nutrition