Baby food pouches should not be given to infants before they are at least one year old because many are “equivalent to fruit smoothies”, researchers have said. Few baby foods sold in pouches “meet the desired characteristics for complementary foods”, according to a study of products sold in UK supermarkets.
Study of 298 products
Academics from the University of Glasgow’s College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences and First Steps Nutrition Trust examined all wet commercial baby food available at six UK supermarkets. They compared sugar, protein and energy levels in 298 products to breast milk.
The majority (60%) of the products studied were sold in “spouted pouches”. Of these, 70% were “targeted” at children aged under six months, while health officials recommend babies are weaned from about six months of age.
Pouches lower in protein, higher in sugar
Compared with breast milk and other products, pouches were more likely to have lower levels of protein, more sugar and less energy. The authors wrote in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood: “Many wet CBF delivered in sPouches have the texture and composition of sweet drinks, while very few meet the desired characteristics for complementary foods.”
They added: “These CBFs, which in texture and content are equivalent to fruit smoothies, should not really be given at all before 12 months and their intake limited after.” According to NHS.uk, babies under 12 months “do not need fruit juice or smoothies”.
Misleading claims
The research team said parents often choose these options due to “misperceptions of suitability and healthfulness”. They noted: “CBF packaging often displays the misleading claim no added sugar despite containing high amounts of free sugars due to pureed fruit content”.
The authors called on regulators to “review whether labelling spouted-pouch, baby food products as complementary foods is appropriate and consider whether these delivery systems are inappropriate for complementary feeding.”
Co-author of the study, Dr Vicky Sibson, director at the First Steps Nutrition Trust, said: “The NHS advises parents not to give babies fruit drinks and smoothies because their high sugar and acid content can cause tooth decay. And yet, right now, supermarkets and pharmacies are full of fruit-based baby ‘food’ pouches marketed for use from four months and six months of age as ‘first foods’, when our research shows they are actually often more like fruit drinks or smoothies.”
“Parents are being misled in to believing that these are healthy and appropriate choices for their babies. The Government have given the baby food industry until February 2027 to comply with new voluntary baby food guidelines. A quick glance at the shelves and online suggests slow progress and undoubtedly a mandatory approach would be preferable. Stronger regulations on the composition, marketing and labelling of commercial baby and toddler foods and drinks should be based on the latest evidence, to ensure maximum protection for infant and young child health.”
