Boots has become the first national retailer in the UK to overhaul its baby food range, adopting new government nutritional guidelines ahead of the 2027 target. The move means Boots will only sell ready-made baby food products that meet stricter standards on sugar, salt, and sweeteners, aiming to help parents make healthier choices for their children.
The new guidelines, part of the government's efforts to tackle childhood obesity, ban added sugar, sweetening ingredients, and added salt in baby foods for infants under 12 months. For children aged 12 months to three years, limits are placed on total sugar, fruit content, and sodium in snacks. Boots reviewed its entire baby food range with the help of its nutritionists to ensure compliance.
Boots sells nearly 250 baby food products, including snacks, dried food, and wet pouches, priced from £1. The retailer says it wants to make it easier for parents to feel confident that products they buy meet high nutritional standards. Vicky Pennington, Lead Nutritionist at Boots, said: 'This is an important step forward for the baby food market and for parents who want to give their children the best possible start in life.'
Health Secretary Wes Streeting praised Boots for leading the charge, saying: 'It is fantastic that Boots are no longer selling products with excessive sugar and salt. I hope other outlets will now follow the example Boots has set.' He added that every child deserves a healthy start and that making healthier options easier for parents is crucial.
Baby food brands are also adapting quickly. Boots has launched new products such as Ella's Kitchen 'nutty pouches', Cow & Gate pots and pouches, and reformulated Organix Original Rice Cakes. All non-compliant products will be replaced by mid-April. Boots previously banned plastic in wet wipes in 2022 and switched to organic cotton wool for its own brand products.
