Ready-made infant, toddler food study finds some falling short on nutrition

Ready-made foods for infants and toddlers bought in pouches and boxes in Australian supermarkets fall short of nutrient, labelling and marketing requirements set out by the World Health Organization (WHO), a new Monash University study has found.

The study found that 43% of the products studied exceeded recommended limits for sugar, and only 23% of food products specifically promoted as suitable for infants and toddlers met all nutrient content requirements as outlined by the WHO.

Consumption of commercial foods for infants and young children has increased in recent years as parents and caregivers see these as convenient, economical and healthy options. According to lead author Dr Alexandra Chung, from the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food at Monash University, one in two Australian children aged up to five years consumes commercial infant and toddler foods one or more days per week.

With the increase in popularity, the commercial food market for infants and young children has also grown, with new products entering the market. In 2023, commercial baby food sales in Australia — including prepared baby food, cereals and snacks — generated over $370 million in revenue.

The Australian Government is currently looking at new policies and regulations as many commercial foods for infants and young children are high in energy and sugars and may not provide adequate nutrients critical for early development, such as iron.  Labelling practices may also be misleading and do not support parents and caregivers to make well-informed choices.

Published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, the study found that none of the 45 products assessed met all of the labelling or promotional requirements as outlined by the WHO and all products assessed included at least one promotional marketing claim that was not permitted under the WHO guidelines.

The marketing claims give parents the perception that these products are healthy, when they are often high in sugar and do not offer the variety of textures and flavours that children need.

The study assessed commercial foods for infants and toddlers available in Australian supermarkets for compliance with the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (NPPM), which supports appropriate promotion of food products for infants and young children aged 6–36 months. The study sample consisted of 45 items sold for babies and toddlers in Australian supermarkets.

In Australia, compositional and labelling requirements of foods are regulated by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. The standard for foods for infants outlines limits on sugar and sodium, and minimum iron content in cereal-based foods, as well as labelling requirements, including age recommendations and vitamin and mineral content claims.

According to Chung, “There is a distinct gap in the current regulation of commercial foods for infants and toddlers that allows manufacturers to influence children’s diets through the promotion of these products.”

It is therefore timely that the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has opened public consultation on improving commercial foods for infants and young children. According to Chung, this consultation “presents an important opportunity for the government to implement comprehensive, mandatory regulation that improves the composition, and ensures accurate labelling and honest promotion, of commercial foods to protect the health of Australia’s youngest children”.

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