CAPE TOWN – Baby food manufacturers are widely violating South African health regulations designed to protect breastfeeding and prevent misleading marketing to parents, according to new research from the University of the Western Cape.
The study, conducted by dietician and researcher Aneeqah Latief, examined 266 baby food products in Cape Town supermarkets and found significant non-compliance with Regulation 991 (R991) of 2012 – a national health regulation that restricts aggressive advertising and promotion of infant formula, cereals and juices.
Latief’s research revealed that many products featured front-of-pack marketing specifically designed to attract parents, including health claims, catchy phrases, expert endorsements and digital links to manufacturers.
Some products boasted claims such as “reduced sweetness…contains iron”, “no added starch”, “no added salt/sugar, no preservatives”, “gluten-free”, and “organic”.
The findings come as South Africa grapples with one of the world’s lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates. Just 22% of mothers breastfed exclusively in 2024, far below the World Health Organisation target of 50% by last year.
Cross-promotion confusion
The study found widespread “cross promotion”, with over 80% of products sharing identical labels, making it difficult for parents to distinguish between formula, follow-up milk and complementary foods.”Clear labelling is vital as South Africa faces growing malnutrition and obesity challenges,” Latief said.
Paediatric juices showed the highest rate of non-compliance, containing high sugar content without health warnings to caregivers.
Some baby foods carried marketing claims positioning manufacturers as nutrition experts, with promotional phrases like “150 years of nutrition experience” and “generations of parents have trusted our infant cereals to provide just what their babies need”.
Missing health warnings
Despite regulations requiring complementary foods to carry clear health warnings, compliance was poor. The mandatory warning against feeding infants under six months was missing from the front packaging of 23,2% of baby cereals. Only 4,8% of puréed products included guidance to introduce variety of foods from six months alongside breast milk.
The research also found misleading pictorial representations, with fruit-flavoured products depicting fresh fruit despite containing only fruit flavourings, concentrates, pulps and dehydrated fruit rather than fresh ingredients.
Regulation 991, issued under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act of 2012, specifically prohibits promotional practices and health or medicinal claims on baby food products.
Health implications
Latief warned that non-compliant labelling and marketing could have serious consequences for infant health.
“If labelling or marketing does not fully comply with regulations, it can mislead parents about nutritional quality, influence early feeding practices, undermine breastfeeding promotion efforts, and affect infant and young child health outcomes,” she said.
Experts cite aggressive formula marketing and cultural misconceptions as key reasons for South Africa’s poor breastfeeding rates, which contribute to the country’s malnutrition and obesity challenges.
The study raises questions about regulatory enforcement and the need for stricter monitoring of baby food marketing practices in South Africa.
You must be logged in to post a comment.