Major baby food brands in the UK are disregarding World Health Organisation (WHO) nutrition and marketing standards for products aimed at infants and young children, according to a study.
The report, conducted by the Access to Nutrition Initiative, assessed over 1,200 baby and toddler food products globally, including 218 sold in British supermarkets. Shockingly, it found that two-thirds of products intended for toddlers contained excessive levels of sugar, salt, or calories, which goes against WHO guidelines.
These guidelines recommend that babies and toddlers avoid foods high in sugar, salt, trans fats, or non-sugar sweeteners, with WHO advising limiting free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake for children.
The study accused brands of engaging in misleading marketing practices, noting that few nutrients were labeled as “healthy” despite poor nutritional quality. It stated that none of the products met the criteria for being suitable for promoting to children according to WHO standards.
Even some UK market leaders fell short, with approximately 88% of products by Hain Celestial, 60% from Hero, 50% from Hipp, 46% from Kraft Heinz, and 7% from Danone requiring “high sugar” warning labels.
The researchers called for urgent regulatory changes, including prohibiting added sugars and sweeteners, capping sugar and sodium levels and outlawing deceptive labeling practices in the baby food industry. They also demanded mandatory front-of-pack sugar warnings to help parents make informed choices for their young children’s diets.