Conclusions of an informal meeting on infant and young child feeding organized by the World Health Organization, Geneva, March 8–10, 2004

This paper, published in Food and Nutrition Bulletin, describes the conclusions of a meeting convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), to identify guiding principles for feeding nonbreastfed children after six months of age. The guidelines cover the amount of food needed to meet energy needs, food consistency, the number of meals provided per day, and the amount of additional fluids given. A variety of foods are needed to ensure that nutrient needs are met, and fortified complementary foods or vitamin-mineral supplements may be appropriate. The guidelines also address good hygiene and proper food handling, responsive feeding, increasing fluid intake during illness, and giving more food after illness.

Other points discussed at the meeting included duration of exclusive breastfeeding in the context of HIV, expressing and heat-treating breast milk to reduce the risk of HIV transmission, and the use of plain cow’s milk. It notes that in resource-poor settings, families may require extra support to feed infants appropriately after early cessation of breastfeeding. Agencies can provide this support by integrating food aid with programmes aimed at prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. Another option is to offer free formula as a supplement to the local diet, although there are health risks if the formula is not prepared and given safely.