If your new to solid foods baby was in need of a snack, would you hand him a candy bar? How about a bite sized bag of candy? Most mums would reply with a resounding ‘No Way!’ Unfortunately, in some baby and toddler snack foods that’s exactly what you may be doing. A recent study by the University of Calgary found that more than half of the baby and toddler foods sold at Canadian grocery stores have far too many calories coming from sugar.
Most countries across the globe have witnessed a rise in processed or convenience snack foods, with no signs of slowing down. Baby and toddler foods have beomce a niche market as more and more “on the go” snacks are being created for tiny tots. The study focused on this new category of processed foods including fruit snacks, toddler cereal bars, yogurts, and cookies only to find that 53% of these foods had more than 20% of calories coming from sugar. Some foods even reached nearly 80% of calories from sugar.
Most people assume foods made for babies and toddlers would be held to a higher standard, however this is not the case. It is, in fact, the exact opposite as these foods are actually teaching babies to acquire a taste for salt and sugar. The study authors note, for example, that the Premium Organic 1st Cookie (made by Arrowroot) might suggest your toddler actually needs a cookie, potentially leading to wanting a “treat” after a meal – which we as adults know is a hard habit to break.
Upon examining the sugar and salt content of 186 food products specifically marketed for babies and toddlers at 9 grocery stores in Calgary, key findings include:
- Baby and toddler foods were not nutritionally more sound than their adult counterparts
- 19% of the foods listed sugar in some form in the first or second ingredient
- 40% of products listed sugar – or an equivalent like corn syrup, cane syrup, dextrose, or brown sugar- in the first four ingredients
- Salt was not as problematic, with about 12% of foods containing moderate to high sodium
What this Means for Mums
First and foremost- read those food labels! Ingredients are listed by volume in descending weight meaning the first ingredient is the most predominant in that food. When sugar is listed first, it means that food is made up mainly of sugar. There is little regulation on how much sugar can be in baby or toddler foods because there is no universally accepted measurement for just how much sugar is too much for young children. Think of it this way: toddlers and babies have tiny tummies which fill up much quicker than adults so do you really want to fill them up with sugar potentially displacing foods with actual nutrients they need? Probably not, but it doesn’t mean they can’t have an occasional snack food just be sure to choose those foods wisely.
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