Expert Advisor Speaker Series: “Feeding Pēpi Well: Infant Feeding Patterns in Aotearoa and What SLTs Need to Know”

Feeding Challenges Emerge

In 2025, New Zealand chose to forgo joint Australia-New Zealand updates to infant formula regulations, developed over a decade by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). These changes aimed to curb unsubstantiated ingredient claims on packaging and align compositions more closely with scientific evidence. Instead, the government cited compliance costs for exporters, opting to craft separate domestic rules. This move came after intense lobbying from multinational dairy firms, overriding initial recommendations from the food safety minister.

The decision arrives as child food insecurity reaches record levels, with 21% of New Zealand children in households where food often runs short—jumping to 35% for Māori. Such hardship directly influences infant feeding practices, heightening risks of malnutrition and developmental delays. Meanwhile, paediatric feeding disorders affect 20-50% of typically developing children and up to 80% with disabilities, straining families with added medical and therapy expenses.

Speech-language therapists (SLTs) play a critical role in managing these disorders, addressing issues like swallowing difficulties and tube dependency. Recent surveys show uneven access: at 54 months, 13% of mothers report concerns about their child's communication skills, but only 56% receive interventions. Disparities are stark for Māori and Pacific families, where barriers to primary care double hospitalisation risks for related illnesses.

Trade-offs abound. Boosting exports supports rural economies but at the expense of public health, where unchecked marketing may inflate formula prices and deter breastfeeding, linked to lower obesity and infection rates. Counterarguments from industry highlight job losses, yet health experts warn of long-term costs: increased eating disorders emerging younger, and persistent feeding issues into school age.

Non-obvious tensions include digital marketing's rise, evading current codes, and cultural factors in Aotearoa, where traditional Māori practices around pēpi (infants) clash with commercial pressures. Updated SLT guidelines on high-flow oxygen feeding and cleft palate interventions underscore evolving clinical needs, but policy lags leave gaps in early identification and support.