The government requires baby food manufacturers to lower salt and sugar levels and to stop promoting snacks for babies under one year old. New guidance will restrict marketing claims that imply health benefits without scientific evidence and gives firms 18 months to improve products or face action. Pouches now account for over a third of the baby food market and snack-style products have increased. NHS advice warns against relying on pouches as everyday meals because of potential nutrition and health risks. Manufacturers state commitment to nutritious products and responsible labelling while critics say profit is being prioritised over child health.
Baby food manufacturers must cut levels of salt and sugar in their products and stop promoting snacks for babies under the age of one, the government has said. The new guidance would also restrict the use of marketing claims that suggest health benefits without scientific evidence. Firms that do not make their products healthier within 18 months may face action.
There has been significant growth in the baby food and drink market in recent years. Food in pouches makes up more than a third of this market and there's been a rise in sales of snacks like fruit and vegetable-based straws, puffs and wafers. "Companies are dressing these products up as being healthy, when actually they're much like a crisp or a sweetie. They're putting profit before health," says former chief nutritionist to the government, Dr Alison Tedstone. "I hope an ethical business will stand back and think about the health of our children."
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