Fortified Cereals and Snack Bars: Too Much Of A Good Thing For Kids?

Earlier this year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) issued a report that examined the levels of vitamin A, zinc, and niacin in fortified foods. They found that fortified cereals and snack bars could lead to an excessive intake of these nutrients for kids because the daily values used to calculate the amount added are designed to meet the needs of adults.

Vitamins and minerals play a critical role in normal growth and development for children. While fortified foods can help reduce the risk of many diseases and also “fill in the gaps” if your child does not eat well, it can be dangerous to consume too many of them. Eating too little of a nutrient can cause deficiencies, but over consuming vitamins and minerals can cause health problems as well.

The amount of vitamins and minerals in a fortified food vary. Adding 20% of the adult daily value can provide 100% of a child’s requirement. Some products contain 100% of the adult daily value.

Children’s Requirements Compared to 20% of the Adult Daily Value 

Vitamin A: 20% of the adult DV is 300 mg RAE

  • Total daily requirement for 1-3 year old:
  •      300 mg /day RAE
  • Total daily requirement for 4-8 year old:
  •      400 mg /day RAE

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   Zinc: 20% of the adult DV is 3 mg

  •  Total daily requirement for 1-3 year old:
  •      3 mg/day
  • Total daily requirement for 4-8 year old:  
  •     5 mg/day

   Niacin: 20% of the adult DV is 4 mg

  • Total daily requirement for 1-3 year old:
  •      6 mg/day
  • Total daily requirement for 4-8 year old:
  •      8 mg/day

Recommendations

  • Monitor the portion sizes of the fortified foods your children eat.
  • Limit the number of fortified foods your children are eating, especially if they are taking a multivitamin.
  • When shopping, check the nutrition label to see if foods are fortified.
  • Create a balanced diet by offering unfortified foods like fruit and vegetables with any fortified products.
  • Reference: Environmental Working Group. How much is too much? Excess vitamins and minerals in food can harm kids’ health. http://static.ewg.org/reports/2014/children_at_risk/pdf/too_much _of_a_good_thing.pdf. Published June 2014. Accessed July 1, 2014.

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