Why Parents Are Being Warned About Baby Food Pouches Sold in UK Supermarkets

Why parents are being warned about baby food pouches sold in UK supermarkets

Experts issue warning over ‘fruit smoothie’ baby pouches sold in UK supermarkets

Experts have sent a warning to parents about the high levels of sugar in baby food pouches

Spouted baby food pouches are more like sugary drinks/smoothies than nutritious food

Commercial baby foods in spouted pouches—intended to boost nutritional intake from the age of 6 months onward—are often more like sugary drinks and smoothies than nutritious food, finds an analysis of U.K. products, published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Experts are warning certain baby pouches are “equivalent to fruit smoothies” and they’re not helping babies learn to eat properly.

Academics have looked at all wet commercial infant food available at six UK supermarkets, comparing sugar, protein and energy levels on products. It's calling on regulators to review its labelling. Doctor Vicky Sibson from the First Steps Nutrition Trust in Nine Elms, says eating is a learned skill.

Some baby pouches with a lot of sugar ‘like fruit smoothies’, experts warn

Few baby foods sold in pouches 'meet the desired characteristics for complementary foods', researchers found.