What You Should Know About “Toddler Milk” and How It’s Marketed to Parents (www.propublica.org)

submitted 7 months ago by nulluser@programming.dev to c/world@lemmy.world

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If you’re a parent, you might have noticed toddler “milk” while browsing the formula aisle. The powdered drink, aimed at children between 1 and 3, often pledges benefits like “improved brain development” or “improved immune function.”

But you may not know that these products are largely unregulated and make claims that are not supported by science, according to studies. For this reason, among others, public health authorities around the world have long sought to police such advertising. Yet despite these efforts, toddler milk has grown to become a $20 billion global business.

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[-] Moonrise2473@feddit.it 8 points 7 months ago

why toddler milk is better than fresh milk:

you prepare it in 10 seconds. You set an electric kettle at 35 C and it's ALWAYS ready whenever the kid wants it.
10 euro of powder lasts a month and has very long shelf life, so you can stockpile a year of supply when on discount, while 10 euro of fresh milk lasts a week and you have to finish the opened bottle in a few days. The kid can't finish a whole bottle of fresh milk before its expiration, so you have to drink it too

why fresh milk is better than toddler milk:

toddler milk tastes foul, only those with undeveloped taste buds can drink it
you have an excuse to drink fresh milk for yourself as otherwise you wouldn't buy it

[-] Patches@sh.itjust.works 5 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

You're just describing Dry Milk. That's existed since, no-shit, 1868.

Side Note: Is your kettle on 24/7? Is that even a thing?

[-] Moonrise2473@feddit.it 1 points 7 months ago

Yes I have a kettle from Xiaomi that can be set via Bluetooth to be kept at a predetermined temperature

[-] JeffKerman1999@sopuli.xyz 4 points 7 months ago

Wtf I drink milk daily, in our household we drink a liter per day, sometimes more

[-] NewNewAccount@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

Like glasses of milk? The adults too?

[-] BearGun@ttrpg.network 4 points 7 months ago

Not who you're responding to, but yes, milk is both very tasty and fairly healthy. I essentially drink exclusively milk or water, unless i'm at a party or something.

[-] JeffKerman1999@sopuli.xyz 1 points 7 months ago

Yes, everyone drinks milk. In the coffee, in the smoothie or just a glass of milk. We don't drink soda/cola unless it's a party

[-] Moonrise2473@feddit.it 0 points 7 months ago

In my family there's a lot of lactose intolerance so it's only me and the kid to drink it

[-] nulluser@programming.dev 3 points 7 months ago

Go to the article and jump down to point #4. That's the central point and something your response doesn't address at all.

[-] Moonrise2473@feddit.it 0 points 7 months ago

Yeah also here on the box they tout miraculous properties of this magic powder.

I take it from my shelf to read it right now: it enhances the immune system, the brain and the cognitive development. A cup gives 100% of the recommended daily intake of iron, zinc, vitamin A, D, C. It's a miracle!

They should just say that it's awesome for when the kid has a tantrum and wants the milk RIGHT NOW, super long shelf life and it's 5x cheaper than fresh milk. Also could do some greenwashing like "using a box of our powder uses 10x less plastic than milk bottles" and "it's lighter and shipping this to the supermarket causes 5x less CO2 emissions".

But no, they all choose to list only the snake oil benefits

I'm wondering if it's all the snake oil like Omega-3 bullshit that's giving the bad flavor to it. It's really bad, if the kid doesn't drink all of it, I have to throw it, probably it's due to the Canola oil that I see in the ingredients.

I'd say even that they should sell this (if they find a way to have a decent flavor by removing the cheaper fillers like Canola and palm oil) in the milk aisle as "perfect for a quick latte" and not in the baby aisle as "if you don't give this miraculous food to your baby you're a bad parent".

As for the price, my previous comment was wrong, I calculate right now that 1kg of powder can make 7 liters of liquid. So at 10 euro per kg (this is toddler milk, not the more expensive and more miraculous baby milk) has a similar cost per liter of fresh milk

[-] ammonium@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

You guys don't have UHT milk?

[-] Moonrise2473@feddit.it 1 points 7 months ago

Uht milk expires quickly when you open it

The kid only wants around 150ml a day

[-] ammonium@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

I've never had UHT milk go bad in less than a week. Longest I've had it in my fridge and passed the smell and taste check was over a month, but at that point I didn't trust it anymore.

[+] anlumo@lemmy.world -29 points 7 months ago

People can just choose not to buy food that’s mislabeled. Isn’t that how it works in the US?

[-] Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone 35 points 7 months ago

But if the label aims to mislead would you call it mislabeled?

[-] Bezier@suppo.fi 21 points 7 months ago

People can just choose not to buy

The same could be said of all consumer protection laws, but does this kind of thinking ever end up working in favour of the consumer?

[-] anlumo@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Nope, that's not the idea behind that approach. This is just about industry profits.

[-] ShellMonkey@lemmy.socdojo.com 9 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

So many of these type things get tagged under the category 'nutritional supplements' that can pretty much legally claim anything they like so long as they put a tag to the effect of 'claims not tested and validated by the FDA' on the package.

[-] anlumo@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

It's pretty amazing how this works in the US. As long as it's labeled as a supplement, companies can put literal rat poison into their products and it's legal.

Additionally, it appears that many people aren't even aware of that.

[-] ShellMonkey@lemmy.socdojo.com 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Hyper free market capitalism (unless it's an actual threat to an incumbent company) plus a 'do your own research' mantra. There has pretty well always been that individualistic streak to the culture with this iconic imagery of the lone cowboy or the solitary businessman held up as representative of the Real American® where people would get upset if it wasn't allowed.

this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2024

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