Fruit and vegetable purees, baby formulas, fruit-flavored follow-on milks and baby biscuits: store shelves are full of them. But if you want to buy these products, it's best to look beyond the label on the front. One's WHO analysisA study carried out in 2016-2017 in several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Denmark and Austria, shows that the majority of products meet the guidelines for salt, protein, fat and carbohydrates, but that the sugar content is be too high.
In fruit purees, 70 percent of the calories came from sugar. However, the analysis showed that fruit purees were also added to salty foods. “Many salty baby foods sold in the United Kingdom and Denmark contain more than 15 percent sugar,” the WHO report says.
These sugars threaten the health of young children, the organization warns. Babies who eat these products regularly may develop problems with their baby teeth. Additionally, there is a risk that children will develop a strong preference for sweet foods, which can lead to overweight or obesity when they grow up.
Discover different flavors
In the report, the WHO calls for a ban on all added sugars, including fruit juice concentrate, in commercial baby foods. According to the organization, no product should contain more than 5 percent fruit puree. Dry snacks, such as cookies, should contain no more than 15 percent sugar.
The organization also advocates for improving baby food labels. It seems that they are often misleading. For example, Heinz's 'Strawberry, Raspberry and Banana Puree', for babies aged 4 months and up, is made up of 79 percent concentrated applesauce. Additionally, the labels on 60 percent of the products indicated that they were suitable for children under 6 months. This goes against WHO guidelines, which recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months.
It is important for babies from six months to discover different flavors, says João Breda of the WHO, lead author of the study. “It is essential that they do not eat only sweet products. “If babies are exposed to different tastes early on, they will be more open to trying different things during infancy.”
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