Companies that manufacture baby food have been given 18 months by the government to cut baby food sugar and salt levels in their products. The move comes amid concern that unhealthy diets are harming infant development and contributing to high levels of childhood obesity in the UK, which remain among the highest in western Europe.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the new guidelines would clarify baby food labelling and help parents make more informed decisions about what they feed their children.
Manufacturers will be challenged to lower sugar and salt content without relying on sweeteners, which are banned in commercial baby food. Under the guidelines, baby desserts and breakfast items such as rice pudding, custard and fruity porridge should contain under 10g of total sugar per 100g. Baby meals should have no more than 60mg of salt per 100 calories, rising to 100mg only if the recipe includes cheese.
The plan also targets misleading labels and marketing claims that often contradict official infant feeding recommendations. For instance, some products marketed as snacks for babies aged seven months and older directly clash with government advice that children aged six to 12 months should only have milk between meals and do not require snacks. Labels such as “contains no nasties” will also be banned on products high in sugar.
Figures from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, published in June, show more than two-thirds of children aged 18 months to three years consume too much sugar, while over a fifth of children aged four to five are overweight or obese. Since the 1990s, obesity rates have doubled in children, costing the NHS £11.4 billion annually and driving illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Public health minister Ashley Dalton said: “Too often, parents are bombarded with confusing labels, disguising unhealthy foods packed with hidden sugars and salt. Our plan for change will tackle this, giving parents the information they need and providing children with good nutritious food.”
The 10-year plan includes banning junk food near schools and using influencers to encourage exercise.
Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, welcomed the measures: “These new guidelines put the industry on notice: this practice must end. Making it easier for parents to buy healthier products is a baby step in the right direction – but what’s really needed is a giant leap.”
She added that “it should not even be possible to sell baby food that goes against official feeding guidance,” noting that three in four people support a ban on high-sugar baby foods.
Source: SkyNews
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