Approximately two-thirds of baby food items sold in supermarkets have been classified as unhealthy, according to recent research.
Over half of the 651 food items designed for children aged between 6 months and 36 months, which are prominently displayed in 10 major US supermarkets, fail to adhere to nutritional guidelines suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients.
Very few of these foods adhere completely to the WHO's advertising guidelines, which emphasize simple labeling and truthful health declarations.
The researchers found that approximately 70% of the products in the study fell short of the WHO's guidelines for protein content, while 25% failed to meet the energy requirements. One out of every five baby or toddler food items contained excess salt levels, surpassing WHO's suggested limits.
Approximately a quarter of the products contained added or concealed sugars, with 44% of baby and toddler food items surpassing WHO's recommendations for overall sugar content, as mentioned by the study's primary author, Dr. Elizabeth Dunford, who is also an adjunct assistant professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a research fellow at the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, the creators of FoodSwitch, an app that offers nutritional information on thousands of items worldwide.
The demand for baby food pouches has skyrocketed by 900% in the US in the past 13 years, making it one of the fastest-growing market segments.
Making Baby Food Pouches More Appealing
The ease and convenience that baby food pouches offer have made them particularly popular among overwhelmed and stressed parents and caregivers, as mentioned by Dr. Mark Corkins, St. Jude Endowed Chair for Excellence in Pediatric Gastroenterology at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, who was not involved in the new study.
“Baby food pouches can be quite concerning,” Corkins stated. “Infants should learn to chew solid foods, not just consume sweetened, puréed products in a pouch. Often, these mixtures are much sweeter than the actual fruit, thereby teaching a child to enjoy extreme sweetness.”
Texture is also an essential factor to consider during this critical period of growth, noted Corkins.
“We recommend parents gradually increase the texture of the foods during their introduction to real foods between 6 months and 1 year,” Corkins advised. “If children are not exposed to a diverse range of textures during this critical phase, they may develop a fear of food with different textures and may end up preferring only smooth, pureed food types.”
CNN reached out to various industry associations representing different baby food manufacturers but did not receive a response before the article's publication.
Absence of Guidelines for Infant and Toddler Foods
The research analyzed over 650 products gathered from the baby food section in 10 prominent US supermarkets and did not examine dairy or cold foods meant for children.
The study did not disclose the names or brands of the foods.
Researchers applied nutritional and promotional guidelines for commercially produced infant and toddler foods developed by WHO Regional Office for Europe in 2022. WHO's recommendations aim to address the global confusion regarding nutritional advice for babies and toddlers, with the situation in the US being worse than in other Western countries, according to experts.
The US Food and Drug Administration has implemented regulations governing infant formulas and arsenic levels in baby food, and it provides suggestions on food safety and handling.
“Do countries have specific regulations for infant and toddler food? The simple answer is no. However, there are stricter regulations in Europe, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia regarding how ingredients are listed on a product's package, which affects foods given to children,” Dunford explained.
For instance, if a savory dish consisted of 10% spinach, 8% beef, and 2% potato, with the remaining percentage being mostly apples or pears, which are commonly used as sweeteners in baby food, its label in such countries would read “Apple, Spinach, Beef, and Potato Pie.”
Manufacturers in such countries are also required to explicitly declare the percentages on the label, e.g., “Spinach (10%), Beef (8%), and Potato (2%), making it clear how much apple or pear is included,” Dunford stated. “However, there are no such regulations in the US, making it harder to comprehend the components of the products you are purchasing.”
The presence of concealed sugars might be a contributing factor to the fact that only 31% of non-fruit pouches meet WHO's overall sugar recommendations, Dunford mentioned.
Deceptive Advertising
Nearly all - 99.4% - of the 651 items in the study featured at least one marketing claim that contravened the WHO recommendations. Products typically publicized four to five such claims, with some boasting as many as 13, according to the study.
Common declarations included “non-GMO” (70%), “organic” (59%), “without BPA (bisphenol A)” (37%), and “without artificial colors or flavors” (25%). The WHO cautions against such promotional declarations because they might lead consumers to believe that the product is more nutritious than the similar item on the adjacent shelf, which may or may not be true, according to Dunford.
"The reason we tag the baby food section as the Wild West is because manufacturers have the liberty to decide what aspects of their product to emphasize," stated Dunford. "They won't be pointing out the negative aspects, right? If their product has a high sugar content, they'll just mention 'no extra colors or flavors' on the label."
Countries like Australia enforce a minimum nutrient profile for ingredients, Dunford continued. If a product fails to meet a basic nutritional standard, the manufacturer is disallowed from making any specific health claims regarding that ingredient.
"If the product falls short of the minimum nutritional profile in terms of calcium, for instance, they can't list 'added calcium' on the label," she explained.
The researchers discovered that around 62% of the examined products touted general health and nutrition claims, while a similar 58% made specific ingredient claims.
"Snack and finger foods frequently include the terms 'fruit' or 'vegetables' in the product name, despite being predominantly made of flour or other starches," said Dr. Daisy Coyle, coauthor of the study and a research fellow and dietitian at the George Institute for Global Health.
"The lack of oversight in this field allows the food industry to easily mislead busy parents," Coyle stated in a broadcast.
These claims contribute to a "health halo" surrounding baby food products, experts argue.
"One of the main issues with baby and toddler foods is the misleading health claims on the product packaging," Corkins said. "Some are outright, some are implied, and they're likely deceiving parents and caretakers."
"A conscientious, well-intentioned parent will be swayed by statements like 'healthy' and 'nutritious,'" he added. "They won't just purchase these items but will also spend more due to the claims."
The study found that over a quarter of the examined products contained added or concealed sugars, exceeding WHO's recommendations for overall sugar content in baby and toddler food items. Parents should be aware of deceptive advertising techniques used by manufacturers, as nearly all items in the study featured marketing claims that contravened the WHO's guidelines, potentially leading parents to believe that these products are more nutritious than they actually are.
