High Levels of Nutrients of Concern in Baby Foods Available in Europe That Contain Sugar-Contributing Ingredients or Are Ultra-Processed

Abstract

Introducing children to healthy and diverse complementary foods, either prepared at home or produced commercially, helps to establish taste preferences and good eating habits later in life. Assessing the nutrient profile of foods available commercially is key to informing consumers and policy makers. We used commercial data to provide an overview of the energy and nutrient content of 7 categories of foods intended for infants and young children that were launched or re-launched across 27 European countries from March 2017 to March 2021 (n = 3427). We also assessed the presence of sugars as added ingredients, and the foods’ level of processing, using the NOVA classification system. In total, 38.5% of the products contained at least one sugar-contributing ingredient; about 10% of products listed an added sugar, almost ¼ of the products listed a free sugar and finally about 20% of the products listed fruit and vegetable purees and powders as an ingredient. Half of the products had a ‘no added sugars’ positioning statement; among these, almost 35% had free sugars, fruit and vegetable purees and powders as added ingredients. With regard to processing classification, 46.3% of the products were minimally processed, 24.5% were processed and 29.2% ultra-processed. About half of all products had a ‘no artificial ingredient’ positioning statement; however, among these, 31.4% were ultra-processed. Our analysis showed that, within each food category, products with sugars as an added ingredient had a less desirable nutrient profile compared to those that did not have sugar-contributing ingredients. The results for level of processing were similar; in most food categories, ultra-processed foods had higher energy, fat, saturated fat, sugars and sodium content, and lower fibre content, compared to the minimally processed and processed ones.

The Nutritional Profile and On-Pack Marketing of Toddler-Specific Food Products Launched in Australia between 1996 and 2020

“…The majority of new products (74%) launched over the 25-year timeframe of this study were UP. This aligns with analyses of the current toddler retail market, which reflect the cumulative effects of product launches and cessations over time, and that have shown that most toddler-specific foods in the retail market are toddler-specific packaged snacks and are UP [ 32 , 33 ]. We found a large decrease in the percentage of meals classified as “UP” from T2 (86%) through to T4 (45%); however, all meals across all time periods were classified as “core” foods.…”

“…Paralleling this decrease in the percentage of UP products, the percentage of discretionary snack foods increased at each time point from T2 to T4. At a young age, the normalisation of UP and discretionary foods, which are often salty, fatty, or sweet, and homogenous in texture [ 11 , 33 , 36 ], can have detrimental impacts on the formation of eating behaviours, and can have ongoing effects on diet and health. [ 36 , 37 , 38 ] Instead, young children should be exposed to a variety of tastes, flavours, and textures in the critical early years to develop healthy eating habits [ 39 , 40 ].…”

Nutritional Quality and Degree of Processing of Children’s Foods Assessment on the French Market

“…Ingredient claims ( n = 492; 42.6%) could be found on 43.5% of UPFs (442/1016) and 95% of products with claims such as “no artificial ingredients” and “natural ingredients” were ultra-processed in our sample. This percentage is much higher than the 31.4% found by the Joint Research Centre [ 44 ], but their study focused on baby food ( n = 3427) and the products were found to be overall less ultra-processed (29.2%) because the related food regulation is stricter.…”

“…The items included in our study do not reflect the total diet of children in France. Moreover, as in the case of other publications [ 44 , 48 ], we do not have consumer statistics for the products assessed, which means that it is not possible to establish direct correlations between their composition, the population’s nutritional intakes, overall diet, and health, although the fact that the products are available on the market suggests that they are consumed by the general population.…”

“…These products ( n = 1034) are mainly Nutri-Score D and E (62.08%; n = 640/1031, excluding food supplements), do not meet the criteria of the WHO Europe Nutrient Profile Model (97.77%; n = 1008/1031), and ultra-processed foods (93.13%; n = 963). In an analysis of 3427 European baby foods, Grammatikaki et al [ 44 ] concluded also that foods with added sugars, free sugars, and any sweetener ingredient have a poorer nutritional profile.…”