Warning over baby food following major new study

Large portions of baby food products sold across the United States contain additives such as flavour enhancers and are classed as ultra-processed, a groundbreaking new study has found.

Infancy is a critical time for shaping lifelong eating habits, says Elizabeth Dunford, an adjunct assistant professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and consultant at The George Institute for Global Health.

“Introducing babies to foods that are overly sweet, salty and packed with additives can set the stage for unhealthy preferences that last beyond childhood,” she explained.

“We also know that high UPF (ultra-processed food) consumption in children is linked to heart and metabolic conditions later in life, so it’s best to try and avoid introducing them in the first place.”

Dunford’s warnings come amid her new baby food, snack, and drink study, which was published in the scientific journal, Nutrients, on Wednesday 11 February.

Not every item marketed to babies is healthy, according to a new study (d3sign/Getty Stock Image)

The research, titled ‘Tiny Tummies, Big Questions: Unpacking Ultra-Processed Ingredients and Additives in Complementary Foods in the United States’, found that more than 70 percent of items marketed as baby food in the country may contain additives that research has ‘linked to inflammation and disruptions in the gut microbiome’.

Researchers analysed data from 651 infant and toddler food products sold on the shelves of ten US grocery store chains in 2023.

Eight of these stores were positioned in Raleigh, North Carolina, while two of the ten were online.

The NOVA classification system was employed to assess the children’s food items so that experts could understand ‘the degree of processing’ and to ‘characterise the types of ingredients and additives used in commercial complementary foods available in major US grocery stores.’

According to the study, 71 percent of the items were classified as UPFs.

“What shocked me was the top ingredient in 71 percent of these baby foods wasn’t a fruit or vegetable — it was one or more additives,” Dunford stated.

71 percent of the items analysed contained food additives (Tetra Images/Getty Stock Images)

These additives included: flavour enhancers, which were found in 36 percent of the products, thickeners (29 percent), emulsifiers (19 percent), and colours (19 percent).

The study also said that ‘processed fruit and vegetable ingredients were common’ to the items, while ‘dairy, meat, and legume ingredients were uncommon.’

Moreover, the study concluded that many of the ‘UPF products contained higher mean levels of total sugar, added sugar, sodium, and energy density than non-UPF products’.

“Added sugars were present exclusively in UPF products,” the paper read.

Too much sugar is said to cause mood disorders, weight gain, acne, and tooth decay in babies.

High sodium levels can cause hypernatremia, a serious condition which may lead to severe and permanent neurological damage, as per a study published in the Biomedicine Hub.

More statistics which came to light in Dunford’s study include:

• Over 105 unique additive ingredients were found in the baby foods
• 94 percent of snack-size packaged products were ultra-processed
• 86 percent of full-sized packaged products were ultra-processed
• 73 percent of pouches were ultra processed

According to the paper, the findings highlight that ingredient labelling needs to be improved in the United States, as do regulatory standards for identifying UPF ingredients and additives.

A health expert has called for more clarity when it comes to labelling ingredients (Connect Images/Getty Stock Images)

“Clearer labelling and specific regulation for baby foods are urgently needed to help parents make more informed choices,” Dunford told CNN.

“Until then, checking the ingredients list is one of the best ways to spot the highly processed options — if you see an ingredient you don’t recognise, then it’s probably best to put it back on the shelf.”

A spokesperson for The Consumer Brands Association, which represents manufacturers of baby food and other products, told the publication: “Food manufacturers adhere to the rigorous evidence-based safety standards and nutrition policy established by the FDA to deliver safe, affordable and convenient products that families depend on every day.”