New Research Highlights Excessive Marketing and Hidden Sugars in Baby and Toddler Snacks
Coinciding with the BBC Panorama expose, ‘The Truth About Baby Food Pouches', Action on Salt and Sugar and the Food Foundation have revealed that concerns surrounding poor nutritional quality extend far beyond baby food pouches.
Ahead of the Food Foundation’s upcoming report, ‘Boosting Early Years Nutrition to Support a Healthy Childhood’, new research from Action on Salt and Sugar analysed the packaging of 113 baby and toddler snack products, covering more than 2,000 individual claims.
The technical findings show:
- An average of 20 promotional claims per product, including nutrition, composition, and health claims — with some packaging displaying up to 43 claims.
- The most common claims related to "natural" ingredients and perceived healthfulness, followed by taste, feeding suitability, and texture.
- Despite these claims, 20% of products contained high levels of sugar, and 50% had medium levels, as defined by government front-of-pack labelling guidance.
The research raises serious concerns that these marketing tactics mislead parents and contradict public health messaging. Action on Salt and Sugar and the Food Foundation are calling to strengthen commercial baby food regulations in line with wider public health recommendations.
The full technical report can be read on the Food Foundation website.
