A new study has revealed that marketing for commercial baby food had rapidly increased in recent years. However, the researchers found that the sugar content in most of the products was too high, and not at all good for babies.
Although fewer products are now being sold for infants aged four months old, there are still a lot of products placed on shelves for babies aged six to twelve months that experts fear are too sweet for the infants.
Parents are now encouraged to prepare homemade meals for their babies instead. However, an estimated 58% of babies in the UK are predicted to receive commercially prepared baby food from six to 12 months old.
In a previous research in 2013, the same team from the University of Glasgow's College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences reported about the nutritional quality and recommendations printed on the food labels of these baby foods.
For their latest study, the researchers analyzed how the baby food market in the UK has changed between 2013 and 2019. Furthermore, they carried out a cross-sectional survey of all infant food products available for sale in the UK in-store and online shops in 2019.
The researchers found an increase in commercial baby food products with 84% more brands, and double the products than in 2013. Furthermore, the results showed there were 32 brands selling baby foods including 27 brands that were not included in the 2013 tally.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood on July 16, 2020.
Baby Food Sugar Content
The World Health Organisation (WHO) previously reported that they found baby food to contain too much sugar. Furthermore, they said products were falsely advertised as suitable for infants under the age of six months old.
Bloomberg previously reported that about one-third of almost 8,000 food and drink products for babied aged zero to 36 months listed the presence of sugar, concentrated fruit juice, or sweeteners as an ingredient.
In the recent study, the researchers saw that the proportion of sweet and savory products was unchanged. On the other hand, sweet spoonable products showed a small but significant decrease in sugar content of about 6% between 2013 and 2019.
However, savory, spoonable products showed a 16% increase in sugar content.
Furthermore, sweet snacks remained very sweet and in the 2019 data. Additionally, concentrated juice was added to 29% of products, and 18% of savory products were made up of more than 50% sweet vegetables or fruit.
Although clinical evidence was currently unavailable, the authors say that health consequences of snacking for baby feeding skills, liquid or milk intake, and continued exposure to sugars were likely to have connotations for healthy eating guidelines.
When do babies eat baby food?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the introduction of solid food to infants at around the six-month mark.
Signs that indicate a baby is ready to take on solid food is when the child has good head control, if the child can sit with little and no support, and if he or she shows eagerness to eat when being offered food.
However, the Glasgow team found that many commercial baby foods were offered to infants from four months, and nearly half the products were sweet.
Cleveland Clinic says feeding an infant too early could increase the risk of health problems. Additionally, they say that solid foods during this time aren't as nutritious as breast milk, and some babies might find it hard to swallow the food.
In conclusion, the authors believe that further research on the prevalence and extent of these marketing strategies is required. Additionally, they argue that there may be a need for tighter regulations on packaging to discourage consumers from buying baby snacks.
