Health warning over baby food after study reveals shocking level of harmful ingredient

Britain’s most sugar-laden baby foods were today named and shamed.

Some products — including ones sold by Ella’s Kitchen — contained more sugar than a one-year-old should have in a day.

Government guidance states infants should have as little sugar as possible, and that a one-year-old child should have no more than 10g of free sugars a day.

But laboratory testing of more than a dozen baby food pouches sold in UK supermarkets found some contained higher levels than those found in fizzy drinks, with one reporting over 19g — more than four teaspoons.

The alarming investigation also discovered most failed to even provide sufficient vitamin C or iron, essential nutrients infants need every day.

Experts today labelled the BBC probe ‘really concerning’, arguing that ‘no added sugar’ statements on packaging may make parents think the products are healthier than they are.

Doctors, dentists and other experts want ministers to ban products being sold with ‘intentionally misleading’ health claims.

There are currently more than 250 baby food pouch products available in the UK — their convenience and long shelf lives have seen them become a staple for many households with young children.

Government guidance states infants should have as little sugar as possible, and that a one-year-old child should have no more than 10g of free sugars a day. But laboratory testing of more than a dozen baby food pouches sold in UK supermarkets found some contained higher levels than those found in fizzy drinks

As part of the investigation, BBC Panorama commissioned a lab to independently test the nutritional value of a fruit, yoghurt and savoury pouch from each of the four leading brands and two supermarkets.

These included Ella’s Kitchen, Heinz, Piccolo, Little Freddie, Aldi and Lidl.

The highest ‘free sugar’ level found by the BBC was Ella’s Kitchen’s Bananas and Apples, which has 19.6g of sugar — equivalent to more than four teaspoons.

Free sugars — those added to products — are released from fruit when it is pureed.

Unlike eating fresh fruit, which is much better for a child, pureeing releases sugar from inside fruit cell walls and can be absorbed much more quickly.

Yet Ella’s Kitchen, as well as Lidl, Aldi, Piccolo and Heinz, label their products as containing ‘no added sugar’ despite the tests showing otherwise.

Eating too much sugar over time can lead to weight gain and tooth decay.

Eddie Crouch, chairman of the British Dental Association (BDA), said hospitals had seen young children ‘barely out of weaning’ needing multiple tooth extractions because of tooth decay caused by their diets.

The highest ‘free sugar’ level found by the BBC was Ella’s Kitchen’s Bananas and Apples, which has 19.6g of sugar — equivalent to more than four teaspoons. Of the four pouches tested containing meat — known to be a good source of iron — Piccolo’s Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese contained the lowest level at 0.1mg

Heinz’s Sweet Potato, Chicken and Veggies, with just over 0.3mg of iron. Even those with the most, still failed to meet the requirements dramatically. Little Freddie Butternut Squash, Red Lentil and Coconut contained 1mg of iron

He said: ‘It’s obviously not all down to these pouches.

‘But clearly, regular use and feeding with these pouches with such high levels of sugar cause serious problems to the general health of children as they’re growing up.’

Panorama also found many of the biggest brands use ‘halo-marketing’, surrounding products with healthy words or phrases, which could potentially ‘mislead’ parents.

Piccolo said it develops ‘recipes that combine fruits with vegetables’ to reduce sugar levels, while Ella’s Kitchen said that, ‘the sugar content would be the same if you pureed the ingredients yourself at home’ and that it has ‘a dedicated sugar reduction pathway for 2025’.

Some Little Freddie pouches come branded as ‘Good for Brains’ and Heinz claims some of its fruit products are ‘as nutritionally good as homemade’.

According to the BBC, Piccolo and Little Freddie said their packaging accurately represented the key ingredients and flavours contained in their products, while Ella’s Kitchen said it ‘would never use’ misleading claims.

Heinz did not address the BBC’s questions on marketing.

Savoury pouches, meanwhile, are often used by parents as a main meal.

There are currently more than 250 baby food pouch products available in the UK — their convenience and long shelf lives have seen them become a staple for many households with young children

Yet, none of those tested came close to providing the 7.8mg of iron an infant requires in a day, the probe found — crucial for healthy growth, development, and brain function.

If a child does not have enough iron in their diet they will become iron-deficient and may even develop anaemia requiring treatment.

A lack of iron may cause a child to look pale, become tired more easily, become irritable and have a poor appetite.

Of the four pouches tested containing meat — known to be a good source of iron — Piccolo’s Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese contained the lowest level at 0.1mg.

This was followed by Heinz’s Sweet Potato, Chicken and Veggies, with just over 0.3mg of iron and Lidl’s Chicken Casserole with 0.4mg.

Even those with the most, still failed to meet the requirements dramatically.

Little Freddie Butternut Squash, Red Lentil and Coconut contained 1mg of iron, while Ella’s Kitchen Spag Bol had 0.7mg.

The BBC also found that nearly all the vitamin C in one of the fruit pouches tested had been lost during the manufacturing process.

Vitamin C is important for immune systems and an infant needs 25mg a day, the government says.

But the Pure Mango pouch from Piccolo had, in effect, no vitamin C left — less than 0.1mg.

This is despite the same amount of fresh mango (70g) containing 18.2mg of vitamin C.

Voluntary guidelines for manufacturers aimed at improving standards were drawn up for the government by Public Health England in 2020.

However, none have been published by either the current Labour or former Conservative Government.

Existing laws already ensure that the safety and quality of baby foods and the claims made on packaging are clear and accurate, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

It also added that it was ‘committed to tackling the childhood obesity crisis and improving children’s health through our Plan for Change, external’.