Choosing Not Enough Baby Milk from Nutrition Labels, Here's What to Look For

JAKARTA - Meeting the nutritional needs of children is one of the important steps that parents need to pay attention to to support optimal growth and development. In addition to daily meals, choosing the right milk is also often part of efforts to meet children's nutritional needs.

Now, not a few parents are increasingly selective in choosing milk products by paying attention to the content of nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals that are printed on the packaging.

However, it is not only the nutritional content that needs to be considered, but also how the dairy product is processed before it reaches the hands of consumers.

In the formula milk industry, products generally go through a series of production stages that are quite long before becoming a ready-to-consume product.

The process includes mixing ingredients, heating, homogenization, evaporation (evaporation), to drying. All of these stages are aimed at maintaining the safety and stability of the product.

However, intensive processing has the potential to affect the natural structure of some of the nutritional components contained in milk. Fresh milk processed into powdered milk through a simpler process can help maintain the freshness of the raw materials while maintaining its natural nutritional content.

A number of studies have shown that repeated heating and complex processing can cause changes in the structure of proteins and other important components in milk.

These changes have the potential to affect the quality of nutrition, digestibility, and the body's ability to absorb the nutrients contained in it.

Therefore, the quality of a dairy product is not only determined by the amount of added nutrients, but also by how the content is maintained during the production process.

According to Dr. Arif Sabta Aji, S.Gz., Doctor of Nutritional Sciences, parents' habit of checking nutritional information on milk packaging is a very important step.

"It is important to pay attention to the availability of the composition of nutrients in the product. It should be noted that the name of the ingredient listed in the first order on the composition list reflects the main content of the product," he said.

The development of innovation in the children's food industry today is also beginning to lead to a simpler and more efficient production process without reducing the aspect of product safety.

Various recent studies have even developed a method of producing formula milk with a more minimal stage to maintain microbiological safety while reducing changes in milk proteins.

This approach is considered capable of maintaining the quality of raw materials better and minimizing the impact of processing on nutrient content.

Parents can understand the quality of milk is not only measured by the presence of certain nutrients, but also by how the nutrients are maintained from raw materials to the final product.

However, Dr. Arif Sabta Aji, S.Gz. emphasized that Breast Milk (ASI) is still the best choice for babies, especially in the first six months of life.

The use of formula milk should be carried out if there are certain medical considerations or conditions that require an alternative intake.

Parents are encouraged to consult with health professionals before making a decision and understand the composition of the product thoroughly so that the decision made really supports the nutritional and growth needs of children.