Research shows that most baby food in American supermarkets is unhealthy

As many as 60% of baby and toddler foods do not meet nutritional recommendations, and none meet the promotional requirements of World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, according to new research published in the journal today. Nutrients.

In the absence of U.S.-specific nutritional or promotional guidelines for these foods, researchers at The George Institute for Global Health included data on 651 infant and toddler food products sold in the top ten U.S. supermarket chains in the Institute’s FoodSwitch database , compared to this international benchmark. .

Of all products, 70% did not meet the protein requirement and 44% exceeded the total sugar requirement. A further one in four products did not meet calorie requirements, and one in five exceeded recommended sodium limits.

Dr. Elizabeth Dunford, Research Fellow at the George Institute, and adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina, said the rising popularity of processed convenience foods for infants and young children was concerning.

“Early childhood is a crucial period of rapid growth and when taste preferences and dietary habits emerge, potentially paving the way for the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and some cancers later in life,” she said.

“Time-poor parents are increasingly turning to convenience foods, unaware that many of these products lack key nutrients needed for their child’s development and are misled into believing they are healthier than they actually are. “

Researchers found that baby food pouches are the fastest growing products in the industry, with a 900% increase in the share of pouch sales over the past 13 years. Worryingly, the pouches were among the unhealthiest products assessed, with less than 7% meeting overall sugar recommendations.*

The research also revealed the extent of deceptive marketing practices, with almost all (99.4%) products containing at least one prohibited claim on the packaging. On average, products showed four banned claims, with some showing as many as eleven. Common claims included “not genetically modified (GM)” (70%), “organic” (59%), “no BPA” (37%), and “no artificial colors/flavors” (25%).

Dr. Daisy Coyle, Research Fellow and Dietitian at The George Institute said these types of claims create a ‘health halo’ around these products, stating: ‘The lack of regulation in this area leaves the door wide open for the food industry to deceive busy companies. parents We saw this not only in the use of misleading claims, but also in the use of misleading names, where the product name did not reflect the key ingredients that appear on the ingredients list vegetables in the product name, despite being mainly made from flour or other starch.”

Obesity in children ages two to five has more than doubled in the US since the 1970s, with approximately 13% of preschoolers living with obesity. This has only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While reducing childhood obesity was a priority under the Obama administration, the issue appears to have fallen by the wayside in recent years,” added Dr. Dunford added. “Our findings highlight the urgent need for better regulation and guidance in the infant and toddler food market in the United States – the health of future generations depends on it.”

Update 21/08/2024: *This represents 7 percent of all pouches, but fruit-based pouches (which contain the most sugar) do not fall under the WHO criteria. This figure becomes 69% if the fruit-based pouches are excluded.