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Tantrums and treats: Baby food manufacturers given 18 months to cut sugar and salt

UK baby food manufacturers have been given 18 months to cut sugar and salt levels in their products, as well as tackle “misleading labelling” that “conflicts with official feeding advice”.

The UK Government’s new guidelines for commercial baby food – which apply to children up to 36 months – prompted some critics to throw their toys out of the pram.

“We risk demonising good in the impossible pursuit of perfection,” said Claire Baseley, a freelance nutritionist who has worked for the industry for 17 years.

Meanwhile, brands such as Ella’s Kitchen questioned whether some of their products will be captured under the new voluntary guidelines.

Cut out sugar, salt, and misleading marketing, manufacturers told

Research published in April by the University of Leeds claimed that the UK’s baby food market is “awash with ‘low-quality’ products with poor nutrition masked by misleading names and on-pack messaging”.

Baby food businesses have now been challenged by the UK Government to change the recipes for their products to reduce levels of salt and sugar without the use of sweeteners (which are not permitted for use in commercial baby food).

The guidelines will also tackle what is referred to as “misleading labelling” that “often conflicts with official feeding advice”. For example, some products labelled as snacks for babies from seven months onwards directly contradict government recommendations that children aged six to 12 months do not need snacks between meals – only milk.

A public relations firm representing Ella’s Kitchen told the BBC that products like its Carrot and Parsnip Melty Puffs and Tomato and Basil Melty Sticks are intended to be part of a meal, despite being marketed in the “finger foods” section of the company’s website and as “snacks” on supermarket websites.

Ali Morpeth, a registered nutritionist and co-founder of the consultancy Planeatry Alliance, said one of “the most positive steps in the guidance is the identification of confectionery”.

The government’s note reads: “Some of the bestselling baby finger food products, often marketed as snacks, can be as high in sugar as standard confectionery products.”

So, for baby finger foods and snacks: “Products that contain high levels of sugar, and are not able to be reformulated, should be considered more like confectionery. These are not appropriate for children aged up to 36 months.”

Manufacturers will also be told to cease using misleading marketing claims that make products appear healthier than they are – for example, products with labels such as “contains no nasties” – when products may be high in sugar. 

Hannah Brisden, head of policy and advocacy at the Food Foundation, a charity that promotes solutions to achieve a sustainable food system, said: “Today’s announcement on commercial baby foods highlights the need to protect families from aggressive marketing and end misleading claims on sugary products.

“Our research found up to 43 claims on a single baby snack, despite many being high in sugar.”

Sugar and salt guidelines could act as a barrier to fruit and veg consumption

Others warned that the guidelines risked demonising certain food groups, and could result in young children struggling to eat enough fruit and veg.

“I do get the call for a restriction on marketing claims, but I struggle to accept the message that puréed fruit, that’s the same nutritional composition as the same recipe made at home, is something inherently bad, akin to a can of Coke,” said Baseley. “We need to be very careful how we talk to consumers.”

Some experts noted that the regulations around labelling are not fit for purpose or properly policed.

The industry’s progress towards implementing the sugar and salt guidelines will be monitored by the UK Government, with a progress report expected sometime after February 2027. The metrics used for tracking progress have not yet been finalised.

Data from the UK’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey, published in June, shows that more than two-thirds of children aged 18 months to three years are eating too much sugar, while more than one-fifth of children aged four to five years are overweight or living with obesity in England.