The future of infant and young children's food: food supply/manufacturing and human health challenges in the 21st century

Infant food and weaning practices are highly debated with lots of unanswered questions. It is becoming more apparent that early-life feeding may have an effect on the long-term health of humans, particularly for noncommunicable diseases such as obesity and allergic diseases. It is important to understand how environmental influences in early life can affect the development of the immune system and metabolic profiling. In terms of nutrition and diet, one should consider the role of the total/whole diet, as well as particular nutrients in the development of noncommunicable diseases. Providing the appropriate nutrition for infants during the weaning age needs to address factors such as the microbial load of the food, nutrient composition, presence/absence of allergens and appropriate textures. These factors are of importance irrespective of whether the food is homemade or produced commercially, and need to take environmental factors and food resources into account.