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Commercial Baby Foods Aimed at Children up to 36 Months: Are They a Matter of Concern?

Mariana Santos1,2, Filipa Matias1, Isabel Loureiro3

  • 1Food and Nutrition Department, National Health Institute Dr Ricardo Jorge, Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal.

Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 28, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Many commercial baby foods contain added sugars and are ultra-processed, despite "no added sugar" claims. This study highlights the need for better marketing and promotion of healthier, less processed infant foods.

Area of Science:

  • Nutrition Science
  • Public Health
  • Food Science

Background:

  • Optimal infant and early childhood nutrition is vital for development and long-term health.
  • Commercial baby foods play a significant role in infant diets.
  • Concerns exist regarding the nutritional quality and marketing of these products.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the nutritional quality and marketing of commercial baby foods using the WHO/Europe nutrient profile model.
  • To evaluate the degree of processing in baby foods using the NOVA classification system.
  • To identify non-compliance with nutritional standards and identify ultra-processed products.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 191 commercial baby food products from major supermarkets in the Lisbon Metropolitan area (March-July 2021).
  • Application of the WHO/Europe nutrient profile model for nutritional and marketing assessment.
  • Utilized the NOVA classification system to determine the degree of food processing.

Main Results:

  • 34.0% of products contained sugar-contributing ingredients; 13.9% listed sugars, and 15.0% listed fruit juices/concentrates.
  • Despite 69.6% having a "No added sugar" claim, only 35.1% met all nutritional model requirements.
  • 61.8% of products were classified as ultra-processed, with 57.0% targeted at infants under 12 months.

Conclusions:

  • A significant proportion of commercial baby foods fail to meet nutritional standards and are heavily ultra-processed.
  • Marketing claims like "No added sugar" can be misleading.
  • Regulatory measures are needed to ensure appropriate marketing and promote healthier, less processed infant foods.

Keywords:
commercially available complementary foodsinfants and young childrennutrient profile modelsugarsultra-processed foods

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