Snack foods for Australian infants and toddlers: prevalence, processing, and nutritional quality

With the global industry for commercial infant and toddler foods growing, there are concerns that nutrient-poor foods, particularly snacks, are being marketed as suitable for children under 36 months. The current study aimed to document the prevalence of commercial snack foods (CSFs) for infants (<12 months) and toddlers (12 to <36 months) compared to other product categories in Australia, and assess their nutritional composition, taste profile, texture and level of processing. Data were from a 2022 cross-sectional audit of infant and toddler foods conducted across three major Australian supermarkets. Using food categories outlined in WHO Europe's Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (NPPM), CSFs were defined as 'snacks and finger foods' and 'confectionery' products. Around a quarter (23%) of infant foods and two-thirds (67%) of toddler foods were CSFs, and most (77%) were assessed as being sweet rather than savoury. Only 19% of CSFs met all applicable NPPM compositional requirements, with toddler CSFs performing comparatively worse than infant CSFs, particularly in terms of their energy density (18% of products compliant vs. 72%) and total sugar content (42% vs. 88%). Overall, 71% of CSFs were categorized as dissolvable (either with or without an initial crispy/crunchy texture), while 63% were ultra-processed based on the NOVA classification system. These study findings indicate that a significant portion of the Australian market for infants and toddlers consists of CSFs that are largely sweet, dissolvable and ultra-processed and non-compliant with international recommendations for key nutrients. Comprehensive reforms are needed to improve the nutritional quality of these products.