Leading UK baby food brands are falling short on vital nutritional promises, with experts warning that parents are being "misled" by marketing claims, states a new report.
According to a BBC Panorama investigation, laboratory testing of 18 popular baby food pouch brands found many lacked essential nutrients like vitamin C and iron. The investigation included , including leading names like Ella’s Kitchen, Heinz, Piccolo, Little Freddie, as well as own label brands from supermarkets Aldi and Lidl
Some pouches even packed more sugar than a one-year-old should consume in an entire day.
The findings raise concerns about a multi-million-pound baby food pouch market that has become a household staple, valued for its convenience and long shelf life.
Experts cautioned that these pouches should only be used sparingly, not as substitutes for home-cooked meals, warning that over-reliance could pose serious health risks to young children.
According to the investigation, savoury pouches intended as meal replacements contained less than 5 per cent of the daily iron infants require. In some fruit pouches, almost all vitamin C had been lost during processing.
Products marketed as having "no added sugar" still contained high levels of "free sugars" created during fruit pureeing equivalent to about four teaspoons per pouch.
The report also shows that some products were marketed for babies as young as four months, despite NHS and World Health Organization (WHO) guidance recommending solids no earlier than six months.
Testing revealed that none of the six savoury pouches provided a meaningful contribution toward the recommended daily iron intake of 7.8mg for infants.
Even meat-based pouches, typically iron-rich, fell far short. Heinz’s Sweet Potato, Chicken and Veggies pouch contained just 0.3mg of iron, less than 5 per cent of an infant’s daily requirement.
Fruit pouches, while often marketed as healthy snacks, triggered additional concerns over sugar content and tooth decay.
The NHS recommends no more than 10g of free sugars daily for a one-year-old but 37 out of 60 fruit pouches surveyed in a separate British Dental Association (BDA) study exceeded this limit.
Ella’s Kitchen’s Bananas and Apples pouch topped the BBC’s test with 19.6g of sugar — more than four teaspoons — surpassing sugar levels found in some fizzy drinks, claims the report.
