Purchasing baby and toddler food in Australia's supermarkets: An intriguing study on commercially made infant and toddler food.

Have you ever gone to your local grocery store and found it stressful to choose healthy products for your baby or toddler? This is why. 

An alarming number of products in the baby and toddler food aisle of Australian supermarkets fail to meet international nutritional guidelines while making misleading marketing claims, according to a recent study evaluating the nutritional and promotional profile of infant and toddler foods (for ages 6-36 months) sold in Australian supermarkets in 2022. Dunford et al. (2024) found that of 309 products analysed, 78% did not meet the World Health Organisation's (WHO) nutritional guidelines and 0% met the promotional requirements. Every product had at least one claim on-pack that was prohibited under the WHO standards, with some products having as many as 21 claims on their packaging. Out of all the packaging types, pouches had the most prohibited claims. Marketing claims made on food products for babies and toddlers may deceive or divert parents’ attention away from undesirable qualities. For instance, they may highlight the use of organic ingredients, convenience, flavour, or a smooth texture to draw parents’ attention away from a poor nutrient profile (Dunford et al., 2024). 

In addition to breastfeeding exclusively during the first two years of an infant's life, the World Health Organisation advises mothers to start introducing solid foods to their newborns at the age of six months. Nonetheless, Australian research suggests that most infants begin eating commercially prepared foods between the ages of 4 and 6 months. As infants and toddlers have an innate taste preference towards sweet/salty foods over those with less sweetness (i.e. vegetables), these commercially produced foods tend to be readily consumed. This is concerning as the healthfulness of early childhood dietary choices may directly impact metabolic health in adulthood, given dietary habits are formed as early as 2 years of age and have been shown to persist over time.

These results demonstrated the urgency with which Australian officials must proceed. Due to the high use of prohibited claims, it is also necessary to regulate the type and number of claims that can be made on-pack, as parents and carers could easily be misled by the deceptive labelling that is currently permitted to be displayed, which in turn can influence the eating habits of infants and toddlers.

If you encounter difficulties in choosing healthy products for your infant or toddler at a local supermarket, we encourage you to consult with your dietitian or one of our lovely dietitians, who will be more than happy to provide you with assistance.

Reference: Dunford E., Scully M., and Coyle D. (2024), Commercially-produced infant and toddler foods - How healthy are they? An evaluation of products sold in Australian supermarkets, Wiley Online Library, accessed on 15 August 2024, https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13709