A shocking majority of pre-packaged baby food has been found to fall short of international health standards, according to a newly released study.
On Wednesday August 21, new research was published in the Nutrients journal, which highlighted an analysis done by the George Institute for Global Health researchers. The scholarly team considered 651 food products for babies and toddlers that are sold in over 10 grocery store chains across the United States.
According to their findings, almost 60% of these products did not meet the World Health Organization (WHO) nutritional standards. Specifically, 70% of the food failed to live up to the protein standards while 44% contain too much sugar, as recommended by the standards. A total of 1 in 4 products were not within the calorie standards and 1 in 5 had too much sodium.
Perhaps unsurprisingly to those aware of the dangers of processed ingredients, the foods analyzed in the study contain high levels of artificial sugar, fat, and salt. The most impacted products are those which are promoted as convenient purchases for easy kids’ meals, such as snacks.
Study authors noted that foods like granola bars and “puffed snacks” amounted to almost 20% of baby and toddler food products that were on sale last year despite having among the “lowest compliance rates” with the WHO “nutrition and promotional criteria.” The study did not name specific brands which were flagged for high levels of processed ingredients.
According to George Institute research fellow Elizabeth Dunford, the research highlights a growing issue of the high rates of producing and consuming highly processed foods for kids. The adjunct University of North Carolina professor pointed out that young children who are still developing is “a crucial period” to form “dietary habits” amid “rapid growth.”
She added that, if poor nutrition becomes a habit at an early age, it could lead to children being diagnosed with chronic diseases when they get older, including cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Dunford emphasized that parents with little time or resources to spend ensuring their children are eating whole, nutritious foods are being “tricked” by manufacturers to think that the “convenience foods” they buy for their kids are “healthier” than their realistic lack of “key nutrients” necessary for developing children.
