Does fortified whole grain infant cereal (WGIC) complement an infant's nutritional requirements and dietary needs?

In an interview with NNI at ESPGHAN 2025, Carole Bru of the Product Technology and Development Centre in Switzerland explains the results from a dietary intake study on 6 to 12-month-old infants in Brazil, the UAE, and the USA. Utilizing the data from the Feeding Infants and Toddler study (FITS), researchers compared the nutrient intakes of infant cereal (IC) consumers and non-consumers. Then, diet modelling was applied to IC consumers to substitute their regular fortified infant cereal with WGIC.

Results revealed an improvement in the nutrient density among IC consumers compared to non-consumers. Diet modelling showed that substituting regular fortified infant cereal with WGIC further improve the nutrient adequacy and density of complementary feeding for infants. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating whole grains into early dietary habits for long-term health benefits.