Growing-up milk is not necessary with a balanced diet. However, it can compensate for the lack of some nutrients. This is what theEFSA in scientific opinion of 25 October 2013 on the dietary requirements and intake levels of nutrients for infants and young children in the EU, requested by the European Commission.
Within an overall satisfactory framework, the European Food Safety Authority found two elements to improve in the diet of young children: excessive energy intake, a possible cause of overweight, and low consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids, iron, vitamin D, and iodine (in a small group of European countries).
EFSA will produce a further assessment in 2014 on the essential composition of foods for children, in view of a revision of EU legislation on the matter, called for by the Codex Alimentarius.
