Marketing of baby and toddler snacks out of control with average of 20 claims per product

Marketing of baby and toddler snacks out of control, with an average of 20 marketing claims on packaging per product

Following Panorama's expose of baby pouches, new research finds the problem goes beyond pouches. There is also extensive promotion of snack products aimed at young children.

An upcoming report from The Food Foundation, which will examine the diet and health of children aged 1-5 across the UK, will highlight concerns around the heavy promotion of baby and toddler snacks.

The research, carried out by Action on Salt and Sugar, based at Queen Mary University of London, has been published ahead of the full report, due out 14th May, and found that across the packaging of 113 baby and toddler snacks:

• There were more than 2000 individual promotional claims made 
• This averages at 20 claims across the whole product packaging, ranging from 9 to 43 claims on a single product
• Many of the products with claims contain high amounts of sugars⁽¹⁾, as a result of sugar levels being totally unregulated, with 20% containing high levels of sugar and a further 50% containing medium levels of sugar⁽²⁾
• The most common types of claims identified related to the natural or healthful nature of the ingredients (28% of all claims), followed by claims related to the presence or absence of certain ingredients (21%). Other popular claims included those related to taste (12%), optimum feeding (11%) and food texture (9%)⁽³⁾

The study looked specifically at commercial baby and toddler snacks aimed at < 36-month-olds, such as puffs, biscuits and wafers, which are a key part of the commercial baby food market⁽⁴⁾.

Commercial baby foods are widely consumed by young children, with almost half of parents reporting to use them always or most of the time⁽⁴⁾. The consumption of products from the commercial baby and toddler food aisle is particularly high in 12–18-month-olds, when they contribute 13% of total sugar consumption.⁽⁵⁾

Parents have said that they assume that commercial baby foods were designed by nutritionists and experts on young children’s dietary needs and follow UK standards, therefore they could trust them.⁽⁶⁾

It is worrying that parents are assuming products are healthier than they really are because of marketing claims. Whilst some of the claims might not be strictly inaccurate, they are knowingly creating a health halo for products that simply aren’t healthy. 

For example, one product bore a series of claims- ‘one of a child's five a day (mentioned twice), ‘nothing artificial’, ‘fruity treat’, ‘source of fibre’, ‘organic’ (mentioned 7 times), ‘no junk promise’, ‘deliciously tasty’, and included a B Corp and a FSC logo.

Parents could be forgiven for assuming this was a healthy option for their child, but in reality, it contains the equivalent to 3 cubes of sugar per serving⁽⁷⁾, putting children's health, particularly dental health, at risk.

While the claims being made on the packaging are currently permitted under UK legislation, the World Health Organisation (WHO) European Region, recommends restricting promotional messages on commercial baby and toddler foods⁽⁸⁾ to avoid confusion and contradicting public health messages.

Despite being commonly consumed, the Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has stated that commercially manufactured foods and drinks marketed for infants and toddlers are not needed to meet nutritional requirements, and that young children’s consumption of processed foods high in sugar should be limited.⁽⁹⁾

While some legislation does exist to protect children from harmful products, and parents from harmful marketing, it is widely considered inadequate and has not kept pace with business behaviours.⁽¹⁰⁾

For instance, it does not adequately address nutritional composition, with no limits on sugar or energy density, does not restrict marketing of products as suitable for 4 months upwards despite the government not recommending the introduction of solids until 6 months(11), and no provisions exist to regulate the marketing of these products.

The Food Foundation and Action on Salt and Sugar are calling for the government to revise and strengthen the UK regulations governing commercial baby and toddler foods in line with WHO Europe’s Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (NPPM) and UK public health recommendations.

Dr Hannah Brinsden, Head of Policy and Advocacy at The Food Foundation said: "Policies are urgently needed to protect the health of our youngest children and ensure they have the best start in life.

"The existing early years nutrition policies are weak, and the extent of claims on packaging is just one area where the government needs to step up to protect both children and their parents from misleading marketing."

Zoe Davies, Senior Nutrition Projects Officer at Action on Salt and Sugar said: "It is unacceptable for baby and toddler snacks to contain such high levels of sugar and then be marketed with up to 43 claims on pack.

"Parents deserve better nutrition for their children and transparency from food businesses in what is already a very challenging and exhausting time in their life.

"As the food companies aren't acting fast enough, the government must urgently regulate the nutritional content and marketing of foods for babies and young children."

⁽¹⁾ The sugars declared on product packaging are the 'total sugars' which include free sugars (i.e. table sugar, honey, and processed fruit and vegetables including juices and purees) as defined by Public Health England. Free sugars, the type of sugar that should be limited, are not currently required to be declared on nutrition tables
⁽²⁾ Based on front of pack labelling cut offs
⁽³⁾ 'Natural or healthful nature of ingredients' ie contributes one of your five-a-day
'Presence of absence of ingredients generally perceived to be harmful or beneficial' i.e. no added sugar
'Relating to ideal taste' i.e. delight for tiny taste buds
'Conveying ideals on optimum feeding' i.e. making the right feeding choices for you and your baby
'Relating to ideal food texture' i.e. perfectly smooth texture has been specially developed as an ideal first weaning food
⁽⁴⁾ Threapleton D, Morpeth A, Cade J. Commercial Baby Foods In Crisis: Addressing Health, Marketing and Inequalities. 2025
⁽⁵⁾ Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) Report: feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years. 2023. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-report-feeding-young-children-aged-1-to-5-years
⁽⁶⁾ In interviews carried out by ActivMob and commissioned by The Food Foundation  
⁽⁷⁾ The majority of the sugar in the product would be 'free sugars', because the sugar within the fruits have been highly processed and released from their cell. This can be claimed as 'natural' despite being free sugars, and too much of this type of sugar is harmful for teeth and overall health'.
⁽⁸⁾ With the exception of certain claims such as vegan, gluten free and vegetarian
⁽⁹⁾ Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) Report: feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years. 2023. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-report-feeding-young-children-aged-1-to-5-years
⁽¹⁰⁾ The Processed cereal-based foods and baby foods for infants and young children (England) regulations 2003. Available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/3207/contents
⁽¹¹⁾ Your baby's first solid foods - NHS.

MORE INFORMATION ON RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 

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Please contact Juliet Grant on 07929075489 or email juliet.grant@foodfoundation.org.uk

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