Researchers have found baby and toddler foods marketed in Australia fail to meet international standards for nutrition and product promotion.
A report released by the George Institute for Global Health Australia has found no commercial Australian baby or toddler food meets world standards for nutrition or product promotion.
“Findings highlight that urgent work is needed to improve the nutritional quality of infant and toddler foods, particularly sugar and energy content,” findings in the report stated.
Of particular significance was the increased use of pouches, with a 53 percent increase in the type of packaging from 2012 to 2022—with baby food in pouches typically containing high levels of sugar.
The report also found that claims made on baby and toddler food packaging could be misleading to parents and carers.
Nutrition Model
In 2022, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published the Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (NPPM) which became the basis for the George Institute for Global Health Australia report findings.
The NPPM serves as a framework for what is and isn’t acceptable in commercial baby foods.
Of the 309 Australian food products for children aged between six and 36 months, 78 percent failed nutritional requirements and every product had at least one prohibited claim on its packaging when compared to the global standard.
Some products displayed up to 21 different claims on their packaging and food in pouches had the highest number of prohibited claims.
Potentially misleading marketing statements on baby foods, according to the WHO NPPM, may include embellished statements similar to “delight for tiny tastebuds,” “picked at the peak of ripeness,” “inspired by home-cooked recipes” or statements deviating from standard health advice, such as encouraging feeding solids earlier than the six-month mark.
The WHO expressed concerns around energy density in many baby foods around the world, with high sugar and water contents also raising concern.
The NPPM has called for better nutritional content and more precise labelling.
Ongoing Concerns
Concerns around the integrity of Australia’s commercial baby food have been raised before.
In 2023, research led by Food for Health Alliance’s Andrea Schmidtke, showed 72 percent of packaged Australian baby foods did not meet nutritional standards for sugar, sweetness, sodium, fat or energy set by the WHO.
It also found products carried an average of eight misleading claims on packaging, but could carry around 20.
Food for Health Alliance executive manager Jane Martin said there was often a method used in marketing baby food that involved highlighting one positive to deflect from other negatives.
For example, a product might boast it is free of preservatives, which it may be, but manufacturers could choose not mention it is high in sugar.
“Ready-made foods for babies and toddlers should give them the best start in life, but the processed food industry plasters these ready-made products with claims like ‘no added sugar’ or ‘free from flavours and colours’ that confer a ‘healthy halo,’” Martin said in a statement.
Government Crackdown
Following concerns raised last year, the Australian federal government has started the consultation process around commercial baby food issues.
The government is accepting submissions from stakeholders and says that with a recent increase in use of commercial baby foods, it was important to ensure proper nutrition.
“The nutritional quality of most commercial foods for infants and young children does not support optimal growth and development for this age group,” a government statement said.
“Many products are high in energy and sugars and do not provide adequate nutrients critical for early development such as iron.”
The government has also warned of concerns around baby food texture not supporting developmental feeding behaviours and around deceptive labelling.
Consultation outcomes will be delivered to food ministers.