The baby-shaped blind spot: What it is and why it’s important

Last year’s Independent Review of England’s food system had a major blind spot. It failed to acknowledge the particular food and nutrition requirements of babies and young children, and the factors which make eating well a challenge for many young families. This is a serious omission: if the way we feed our children in their earliest years is left out of food policy, we can make little progress in tackling rising rates of overweight or embedding eating habits that support sustainability. This Policy Insight, by Dr Vicky Sibson, Director of the First Steps Nutrition Trust, makes eight recommendations that build on the proposals of the Independent Review and would put infant nutrition back into the White paper and National Food Strategy.