Earlier this year, a report by the University of Leeds and BBC Panorama put foods targeted at babies and toddlers under the spotlight. Leading brands including Ella’s Kitchen, Heinz, Piccolo, Little Freddie, Aldi and Lidl were found to be failing the key nutritional needs of babies and toddlers.
Many were found to be low in vital nutrients like vitamin C and iron, while others exceeded a one-year-old’s daily recommended sugar intake in a single pouch.
Following this, the government has issued voluntary guidance for British baby food companies to improve the quality of products in the next 18 months. It specifically focuses on salt and sugar levels in commercially available foods, as well as addressing misleading marketing claims that gloss over a lack of nutritional value.
All of this scrutiny has left parents wondering what commercial food brands they should be buying.
To get a clearer lay of the land, we spoke with three paediatric dietitians to find out what they recommend to their clients and the things to watch out for.
Every dietitian spoken to for this story recommends caution when it comes to any products recommended for babies under 12 months. “Since the recent report highlighted some commercial purees contain high levels of sugar and are not particularly nutrient-rich, I’m now more cautious about recommending those products,” explains paediatric dietitian Emma Shafqat.
She also would recommend home-cooked options most of the time for any young child. However, she adds that there are some brands that she does suggest to her clients for babies and toddlers ages 1-3.
“A few I do recommend are: Jess Cooks, More Toddler Meals, Pots for Tots and Little Dish.” These brands are all part of the Kids’ Food and Drink Collective, a UK collective dedicated to healthier children’s food and drink brands.
She explains that these include no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, or sweeteners; a limited use of other artificial ingredients; and added free sugars including refined sugars, honey, and syrup are limited to 4g or less per pack/serving.
“For example, Jess Cook’s packs contain two of their five a day, are low in salt and contain no artificial ingredients. They also contain 4g or less added sugar to their meals.”
Skip the baby pouches
Paediatric dietitian Bahee Van de Bor does not recommend any baby pouches.
“Baby food pouches can be useful occasionally,” she says. “When travelling or if families are caught out and need a convenient option. But they should be thought of like the ready meals you might buy for yourself after a busy day: fine once in a while, but not something you’d rely on every day.”
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They should not be used daily, she says, as they fall short nutritionally. “They tend to lack iron-rich foods and bitter-tasting vegetables, which are essential for healthy growth and for developing a wide palate.”
Emma Shafqat agrees, and says for weaning it’s better to focus on home-cooked foods where possible. “I would make your own purees and freeze it in ice cube trays, or use some of the reusable pouches to store them in e.g. Nom Nom Kids. For weaning, it’s best to start introducing textures after six months rather than relying solely on smooth purees.”
Lucy Upton, paediatric dietitian, urges caution around foods sold as snacks – particularly when targeted at young babies.
“I would also be cautious of anything listed or sold as a ‘snack’ product for children under 12 months of age,” she explains. “The NHS does not recommend snacks for babies under one year, and many of these products are low in nutrients and/or higher in salt or sugar.”
Emma Shafqat echoes this, pointing out that even the ones marketed towards toddlers are often unnecessary dupes of adult products.
“I would be cautious with brands that market heavily to parents but contain added sugar, high salt levels, or unnecessary additives. Some ‘toddler snacks’ can look healthy but are essentially biscuits or crisps in disguise like Ella melty sticks, veggie straws or Farley rusks.”
Marketing may focus on these products encouraging ‘self feeding’ but they will often be nutritionally poor. “Yogurts or fruit snacks marketed to toddlers sometimes contain more sugar than a chocolate bar,” she adds.
Say no to “no nasties”
“Don’t be swayed by marketing claims like ‘no nasties’ or ‘100% natural’,” Bahee urges. “These phrases sound reassuring but don’t guarantee nutritional quality. What matters is whether the food provides enough iron, protein, and a variety of vegetables.”
Misleading labels that grant baby and toddler food health haloes is one of the targets of the voluntary government guidance, so in the meantime you are far better off not trusting these claims and instead looking at the ingredients themselves.
“The back of the pack for any product will include the ingredients, so you can check for added sugars, what % of ingredients are used in the product (they are listed by order of weight), and overall nutritional composition, including salt and sugar,” says Upton.
If a product promises to be broccoli but the first ingredient is apple, for example, your child won’t be tasting or getting the nutritional benefits of the more bitter vegetables.
While these products promise convenience and can be a life saver in a pinch, Lucy Upton points out that commercial products can actually be more expensive than just preparing food at home.
“The reality is that many of these foods are very expensive, and for many options, a whole food alternative is cheaper and more nutritious,” she says.
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“For example, a pouch of banana puree can be 90p (£1.29/100g), whereas a fresh banana may be 15–20p (around 7–9p/100g). Baby porridge is another example— often with added oils or sugars, and a packet may cost up to £3/100g, compared to normal porridge oats (that can be blended if needed) at around 9p/100g.”
Emma adds that many foods you already keep in house are already ideal for little ones.
“You don’t have to rely on branded baby food. Family foods can be adapted easily for example, mashed or chopped fruit and vegetables, plain yogurt with fruit, porridge or Weetabix with milk, or pasta with simple tomato sauce. Frozen vegetables, tinned beans, and store cupboard staples are budget-friendly, healthy, and suitable for little ones too.”
But don’t beat yourself up
Despite all this, each dietitian urges parents to not worry excessively about relying on commercial foods.
“Parents don’t need to feel guilty if they’ve been using them,” Bahee says. “The real issue is that marketing has misled families into believing these products are suitable as daily meal replacements, when in fact they are not.”
“Overall, I would urge parents not to feel guilty about using these foods occasionally – even I did as a dietitian!,” Lucy adds. “Parents have increasing demands, and including convenient options within a child’s diet as part of a balanced approach is completely reasonable.”
However, she says that avoiding over-reliance on these products is really important in the early years. “The first few years of life are formative for health, growth, eating habits and much more. No matter how healthful these products may seem, nothing can replace the value of variety, texture, and the experience of eating family foods together.”
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