Toddler meals too salty, says parent group

A parent advocacy group claims that many prepared toddler meals contain too much sodium for young children.

Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton and advocacy group Parents’ Voice examined a range of supermarket toddler meals and found many Australian toddlers are consuming their recommended daily salt intake in just one sitting.

Dr Stanton questioned the use of added salt in Only Organic Vegetable Macaroni Cheese, Only Organic Beef Bolognese Pasta and Heinz Little Kids Ravioli Bolognaise.

“Latest health advice discourages parents from adding salt when they’re cooking at home for toddlers. Adding salt to products marketed to children is unwise and unnecessary,” she said.

Dr Stanton was also concerned with the sodium content in foods marketed for toddlers such as Only Organic Vegetable Macaroni Cheese (273 mg), Annabel Karmel Cheeky Chicken & Pumpkin Risotto (230 mg) Heinz Little Kids Ravioli Bolognaise (220 mg) and Annabel Karmel Beautiful Bolognese Pasta Bake (202 mg) per serve.

“The Nutrient Reference Value for sodium consumption for Australian children aged 1 to 3 years is 200–400 mg per day. It would be hard for parents to keep their children’s sodium consumption to recommended levels if these types of products are consumed regularly.”

Dr Stanton said the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that by the age of 12 months, toddlers should be consuming food enjoyed by the rest of the family, and that encouraging parents/carers, or children themselves, to consume food that’s different to the family’s normal diet could result in the development of poor eating habits.

Another concerning addition was the use of apple juice concentrate and apple juice in the Annabel Karmel meals examined. “These add sugar and accustom young palates to a sweeter taste, but won’t add any significant nutrient content,” Dr Stanton added.

Alice Pryor, campaigns manager for Parents’ Voice, raised concerns over the labelling of some toddler meals.

“Parents want to give their children the best start to life, and these products lead parents to believe they are healthy and nutritional meals for their children when many of them are actual laden with hidden salt and sugar.

“Most parents of toddlers would struggle to find time in the supermarket to read and compare the small print on the backs of these products.”