Assessment of energy intake of infants exclusively fed with infant formulae available on the European market.

The aim of the present study was to assess the total daily energy intake of infants (aged 0-4 months) exclusively fed with infant formulae available on the European Union market. All of the products were identified from the European market share data of the year 2007 covering 22 countries. The calculated daily energy intake based on the instructions labelled on these products was compared with the energy requirements based on World Health Organization recommendations, considering the standard body weight established by the Food and Agriculture Organization. In addition, the daily energy intake was also calculated based on direct measurements of the amount of formulae contained in the spoon provided by the supplier. It was found that the kcal/day intakes provided by the supplier were higher than the values recommended by international organizations. The energy intake values calculated based on the direct spoon measurements were even higher.