A vast survey carried out on baby food products warns of the composition of the majority of items sold in supermarkets. One product in particular is frequently used by parents at children’s breakfast time.
On supermarket shelves, many foodstuffs are intended for toddlers who are beginning their dietary diversification. Between prepared meals, purees, compotes, dairy desserts and biscuits, it can be difficult for parents to know what to buy, especially when the majority of these products claim on their packaging “reduced in sugar“, “no added sugar“, “specially adapted to baby’s needs” and other nutritional claims said to be healthy for the baby’s health. But is their composition really that good? The association of consumers and users Consumption Housing Living environment (CLCV) looked into the question and the results of their study are more than alarming. One product in particular caught our attention, being widely used by young parents on a daily basis.
False mentions about the composition
In this studypublished this October 19, 2023, 207 infant food products (children under 3 years old and excluding infant milk), sold in stores in France, were analyzed. 80% of them display a “health” image on their packaging. But what parents must be particularly vigilant about when shopping for their baby is the list of ingredients. Indeed, according to the CLCV association, the majority of infant products are full of sugar and additives (30% contain sweetening ingredients, such as sugar, honey and chocolate and 38% additives such as thickeners, acidity regulators and emulsifying agents).
The mentions suddenly “it’s good for babies’ health“, “it suits his nutritional needs” are therefore far from true. Knowing that theWorld Health Organization recommends from the age of 6 months to introduce into baby’s diet “healthy and nutritionally satisfactory complementary (solid) foods”.
A popular dairy product contains 2.5 cubes of sugar in just 250 ml
Among the references examined, one of them deserves attention given that it is very common in baby’s food at breakfast time. This is the Blédidej vanilla flavored biscuit dairy product from Blédina, widely used by parents and very practical also during trips and short weekends since these small bricks can be easily taken with you. But according to CLCV analysis, a 250 ml brick, which is equivalent to 1 baby bottle, contains 5 additives (maltodextrins, soy lecithin type emulsifier, acidity regulators and antioxidant), and approximately 2.5 pieces of sugar.
Generally, “85% of dairy products studied contain sweetening ingredients : sugar, cane sugar, dextrose, caramel, sugar syrup from fruits”, notes the study. While the WHO recommends for this type of product “a maximum fat content of 4.5 g/100 kcal, i.e. a contribution of fat to total caloric intake of around 40%”. For the organization which initiated the investigation, it is imperative to strengthen European regulations on the nutritional composition of infant products, which is currently far too tolerant. “It must set maximum levels of sugars, fats and salt, based on WHO recommendations”, sunderlines the CLCV.
Remember that it is always preferable to use natural products for baby’s diet when diversifying their diet. For example, prefer a homemade yogurt cake, where you can more easily limit the sugar. Also avoid fruit juices or “special baby” orange juice by opting instead for a squeezed orange that baby will be happy to taste.