The baby foods with the highest sugar content in Britain were revealed today in a shocking report.
Some products — including those from the Ella's Kitchen brand — contained more sugar than is recommended for a one-year-old child throughout the day.
According to government guidelines, babies should get as little sugar as possible, while a one-year-old child should not consume more than 10 grams of free sugar per day.
But laboratory tests of more than a dozen bags of baby food sold in British supermarkets found that some contained higher levels of sugar than fizzy drinks, with one product reaching over 19 grams — more than four teaspoons.
The worrying investigation also found that most products failed to provide sufficient levels of vitamin C or iron, essential nutrients for the healthy development of babies.
Experts have described this BBC research as "very worrying", stressing that statements on packaging such as "no added sugar" can mislead parents into thinking that products are healthier than they actually are.
Doctors, dentists and other experts are calling on the government to ban the sale of products with "intentionally misleading" health claims.
Alarming sugar levels and nutrient deficiencies
In the United Kingdom, there are currently more than 250 types of baby food pouches, which due to their convenience and durability have become common in many families.
As part of the research, BBC Panorama tested a bag of fruit, one of yoghurt and one of savoury food from each of four major brands and two supermarkets: Ella's Kitchen, Heinz, Piccolo, Little Freddie, Aldi and Lidl.
The highest free sugar score was recorded in Ella's Kitchen's Bananas and Apples product, with 19.6g of sugar — the equivalent of more than four teaspoons.
Free sugars — those released from fruits when they are processed into puree — are absorbed much more quickly than the sugar in fresh fruit and are more harmful.
However, Ella's Kitchen, Lidl, Aldi, Piccolo and Heinz label their products as "no added sugar", despite the test results.
Experts warn that excessive sugar consumption can lead to weight gain and tooth decay.
Eddie Crouch, president of the British Dental Association, said hospitals are facing cases of very young children needing multiple tooth extractions due to damage from a high-sugar diet.
"Although these bags are not the only ones responsible, regular use of them with high sugar levels causes serious problems for the overall health of children," he stressed.
Possible marketing fraud and iron deficiency
Panorama also found that the biggest brands use so-called "halo-marketing", describing products with healthy words or phrases that can mislead parents.
Piccolo said it creates recipes that combine fruits with vegetables to reduce sugar levels, while Ella's Kitchen argued that "the sugar content would be the same even if parents prepared the purees at home" and that it has launched a plan to reduce sugar by 2025.
Brands like Little Freddie promote products with claims like "Good for the Brain," while Heinz claims that some of its products are "as nutritious as home-cooked food."
On the other hand, salty foods, often used as main meals, also failed to provide the minimum amount of iron that an infant needs each day (7.8mg).
For example:
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese from Piccolo had only 0.1mg of iron,
Sweet Potato, Chicken and Veggies from Heinz had 0.3mg,
Chicken Casserole from Lidl had 0.4mg,
Little Freddie's Butternut Squash, Red Lentil and Coconut had 1mg,
Spag Bol from Ella's Kitchen had 0.7mg.
Even the richest products did not come close to the required standard.
Iron deficiency can lead to anemia, fatigue, irritability, loss of appetite, and pale skin in children.
Vitamin C deficiency and calls for government intervention
Tests also revealed that in some products the loss of vitamin C during the manufacturing process was almost total.
For example, the Pure Mango bag from Piccolo contained less than 0.1mg of vitamin C, while an equal amount of fresh mango contains 18.2mg.
This negatively affects the strengthening of the immune system of infants.
In 2020, Public Health England had drawn up voluntary guidelines for manufacturers to improve standards, but they have yet to be published by any government — neither the current Labour nor the previous Conservatives.
The Department of Health and Social Care said existing laws ensure the safety and quality of baby foods and the accuracy of claims on packaging. It also added that it is “committed to tackling the childhood obesity crisis and improving their health through the Plan for Change.” /Express newspaper/
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