High sugar content of European commercial baby foods and proposed updates to existing recommendations

Abstract

The aim was to determine whether commercial baby foods marketed within Europe (up to 36 months of age) have inappropriate formulation and high sugar content and to provide suggestions to update European regulations and recommendations as part of a nutrient profile model developed for this age group. The latter was produced following recommended World Health Organization (WHO) steps, including undertaking a rapid literature review. Packaging information from countries across the WHO European region was used to determine mean energy from total sugar by food category. The percentage of products containing added sugar and the percentage of savoury meal-type products containing pureed fruit were also calculated. A total of 2,634 baby foods from 10 countries were summarised: 768 sold in the United Kingdom, over 200 each from Denmark (319), Spain (241), Italy (430) and Malta (243) and between 99-200 from Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Estonia and Slovenia. On average, approximately a third of energy in baby foods in these European countries came from total sugar, and for most food categories, energy from

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

“…In the current study, 57.1% of ‘Baby biscuits and rusks’ and 29% of ‘Baby fruit products, desserts and yoghurts’ contained free sugars. Although the food categories do not correspond exactly, these findings are in line with those by Hutchinson et al [ 14 ] that found high levels of free sugars in ‘fruit purees (with cereal or milk)’ and ‘dry cereals (with high-protein foods)’. A German study that assessed commercial and home-made meals of 6–12-month-old infants found added sugars in less than a quarter of the meals [ 34 ].…”

“…Almost ¼ of the products listed a free sugar (as defined in [ 12 ]) as an ingredient. Hutchinson et al [ 14 ] reported that on average, between 21% (Denmark) to 58% (Hungary) of products listed an ‘added sugar’ (with a definition similar to ‘free sugars’ by [ 12 ]) as an ingredient. In the current study, 57.1% of ‘Baby biscuits and rusks’ and 29% of ‘Baby fruit products, desserts and yoghurts’ contained free sugars.…”

“…High consumption of sugars has been linked with dental caries and increased body weight from early in life till later in adulthood [ 12 ]. Despite this, recent reports [ 6 , 13 , 14 ] have highlighted high content of total sugars in food products intended for infants and young children (from now on referred to as baby food). In addition, although most FBDGs recommend only limited consumption of fruit juices and sugars at this age [ 6 ], the use of concentrated fruit juice, fruit and vegetable (F&V) purees and powders as ingredients in baby food (even in savoury meals) is widespread across Europe [ 6 , 14 , 15 ].…”

“…Despite this, recent reports [ 6 , 13 , 14 ] have highlighted high content of total sugars in food products intended for infants and young children (from now on referred to as baby food). In addition, although most FBDGs recommend only limited consumption of fruit juices and sugars at this age [ 6 ], the use of concentrated fruit juice, fruit and vegetable (F&V) purees and powders as ingredients in baby food (even in savoury meals) is widespread across Europe [ 6 , 14 , 15 ]. The pureeing process (both at industrial and home preparations) breaks the F&V cell walls creating readily available free sugars [ 16 ].…”

Energy, Sugars, Iron, and Vitamin B12 Content of Commercial Infant Food Pouches and Other Commercial Infant Foods on the New Zealand Market

“…This is the first study to report the “free sugars” and “added sugars” content of commercial infant foods. The finding that pouches, on average, did not contain any free or added sugars was surprising, particularly given the widespread concern about high sugars content in pouches, and the emphasis being placed on the sugars content of commercial infant foods in the literature [ 8 , 28 , 43 ]. The WHO Regional Office for Europe made a call in 2019 to ban added sugars and “sweetening agents” (including fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates) in commercially available complementary foods [ 27 ].…”