The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has warned the parents and guardians of toddlers against using some beverages such as almond ‘milk’, coconut ‘milk’ and rice ‘milk’, deeming such milk substitutes to be “nutritionally inadequate”.

The authority made the warning in a report today, Monday, June 22, which outlines food-based dietary guideline recommendations for one to five-year-old children living in Ireland.

The latest Irish research on the dietary habits of this age group was used by the FSAI’s Scientific Committee to develop these guidelines, which reflect international best practice on young child feeding in an Irish context.

According to the FSAI, this is the first time a national scientific report addresses the nutritional needs of toddlers and pre-school children living in Ireland.

These guidelines cover the gap in Irish scientific dietary recommendations for the post-infancy period – a phase that starts on their first birthday and ends at the age of five years, when the general population’s healthy eating recommendations begin to apply, the authority says.