Possible use of spreads as a FOODlet for improving the diets of infants and young children
Briend, A.é
Food and Nutrition Bulletin 23(3): 239-243
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0379-5721 PMID: 12362585 DOI: 10.1177/156482650202300301Document Number: 266043
Spreads are high-viscosity fat products prepared by mixing dried powdered ingredients with a vegetable fat chosen for its viscosity. Spreads are not traditionally used for feeding infants or young children and were initially proposed for feeding severely malnourished children during the recovery phase. The advantages of these products include a high energy and nutrient density, a very good acceptability, and resistance to bacterial contamination. Adapted spreads could be designed to boost the nutritional density of diets of young children from poor communities. Spreads could be mixed with the meals or porridges traditionally given to infants or eaten by themselves as snacks. Formulation of spread products is flexible, and acceptability and efficacy trials are required to optimize their composition and fortification levels and to select the best-adapted ingredients for each setting.