8 - Modifying the texture of foods for infants and young children

The first section of this chapter describes the evolutions in oral physiology (anatomical motor components, oral motor skills and feeding skills) in healthy children (< 3 years). The second section describes how each type of texture is accepted at each oral physiology stage, and how exposures to textures impact oral physiology development and acceptability of textures. The third section shows how the need to modify food texture for infant foods is addressed, through national regulations or recommendations from public health bodies, and describes practices of texture modification, based on national surveys and case reports (including baby-led weaning). The chapter is closed by a commentary on future trends and by a description of sources of further information and advice