Parents ‘Tricked’ by Unhealthy Baby Food in US Grocery Stores, Study Warns

Parents are being “seduced” by health claims on baby food products sold in major US grocery stores, according to research published today.

Manufacturers use promotional claims to distract consumers from the poor nutritional profile of the product and to give a misleading impression of health, researchers from The George Institute for Global Health wrote in the scientific journal Nutrients.

“More and more time-poor parents are opting for convenience foods, unaware that many of these products lack vital nutrients needed for their child’s development and want to believe they are more healthier than they actually are,” said Elizabeth Dunford, a nutrition scientist at the University of North Carolina. .

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“Early childhood is a critical period of rapid growth and when taste preferences and dietary habits emerge, it can pave the way for the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and some cancers later in life .”

Researchers tested 651 products sold in the top 10 grocery chains in the US for children aged 6 months to 3 years, comparing them to recommendations set out by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022.

They found that nearly 60 percent of these foods failed to meet the WHO’s guidelines for nutritional quality, and none met its standards for promotion and marketing.

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Lead author Daisy Coyle, a dietitian at the George Institute, said: “The lack of regulation in this area leaves the door wide open for the food industry to prey on busy parents.”

Dunford clarified in a statement to News Week: “I don’t believe the intent is malicious. The intent is to sell products. It’s no secret that food companies will use marketing tactics to sell their products and baby foods are no exception.”

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“I don’t know any mom who has the time to sit down and read ingredient lists and nutrition labels to compare every product before they buy them. I’m a mom with two young kids, and even as a researcher in this area.” , I find it difficult to navigate the baby food aisle.”

“I am also guilty of using pouches as a convenient way to feed my children. But where regulation (or strong pressure from government to industry) can help is to ensure that whatever is on the product package is not misleading or attractive in any way.”

“The concern is that baby food products may use advanced package claims such as ‘organic,’ ‘healthy,’ ‘natural’ but contain free sugars, added sodium, or other ingredients that are less desirable.”

On average, baby and toddler foods contained four misleading health claims banned by the WHO on their packaging – but 99.4 per cent had at least one banned claim, with some having as many as 11.

The most common of these was that non-genetically modified (GM) foods appeared on 70 per cent of products, with 59 per cent labeled as organic, while 25 per cent said they contained no artificial colors and flavours. .

Coyle said these claims created a health halo around these products, adding: “We saw this not only in the use of misleading claims but also in the use of misleading names, where the product name did not reflect the main ingredients found on the ingredients. list.”

“For example, snack and keyboard foods often referred to fruit or vegetables in the product name, despite being made primarily from flour or other starches.”

However, researchers also found that most of the baby foods they tested were unhealthy, according to WHO guidelines. Specifically, 70 percent failed to meet protein requirements, 44 percent exceeded sugar recommendations, 1 in 4 had too many calories, and 1 in 5 were considered too high in fat.

The sugar content was of particular concern to study authors, who said it could encourage children to develop a preference for sugary foods. They also said that excessive sugar consumption is a major cause of obesity and lifestyle diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

Baby pouches are ranked among the unhealthiest products assessed, with less than 7 percent meeting total sugar recommendations. The number of sales from pouches has increased by 900 per cent in the last 13 years.

Dunford said: “Squeeze pouches are leading the market, accounting for around 60% of all baby food purchases… Squeeze pouches in other countries, for example, often carry a warning saying that the material should be placed on a spoon or in. bowl and don’t pull straight from the pouch.”

“However, in the United States we found a very small number of products that did this, with most actually encouraging consumption out of the pouch. This has implications for dental health… [and] eating behavior and development.”

As a category, snack foods are worst; none of the products assessed met WHO nutritional recommendations. None had enough protein, 90.3 percent had too many calories, 87.1 percent had too much sugar, and 71 percent had added sugars or sweeteners.

Researchers concluded by calling for stricter regulations regarding the nutritional quality of baby food and the promotional messages allowed on its packaging.

“Our findings highlight the urgent need for better regulation and guidance in the US infant and toddler food market – the health of future generations depends on it,” said Dunford.

Part of the reason these foods don’t stand up so much against the analysis is that the WHO guidelines were developed in Europe where promotion regulations are stricter, but Dunford said they were still applicable, because “the baby food market is no different all.”

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References

Coyle, DH, Shahid, M., Parkins, K., Hu, M., Padovan, M., & Dunford, EK (2024). Assessment of the Nutrient Profile and Promotion of Commercial Foods for Infants and Children in the United States. Nutrients, 16(16). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16160000