Latest news with #TheTruthAboutBabyFoodPouches
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Campaigners call for urgent action over unhealthy baby food
Health organisations have urged the government to take immediate action to protect babies and children from nutritionally poor, sugar-laden Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) said children "face relentless exposure to unhealthy food" and called for stronger regulation of the baby food market. It follows an investigation by BBC Panorama which found baby food pouches from six leading UK brands failed to meet their key nutritional government has previously said existing laws already ensure the safety and quality of baby foods and the claims made on packaging are clear and accurate. The government has announced several measures to tackle childhood obesity, including restrictions on junk food advertising on TV, takeaways opening near schools and a ban on multi-buy the OHA - a coalition of 40 leading health organisations - said with a rise in childhood obesity, tooth decay and type 2 diabetes, now is the time to ensure children and parents are not exposed to misleading marketing of food and drinks. It also said there should be mandatory sugar limits on baby food and drinks, more schemes to help low-income families access healthy, affordable food and sugar warnings on food labels."Without urgent intervention, we face the very real prospect of a generation growing up with worse health outcomes than their parents," the OHA said in a letter to Health Secretary Wes letter also warned of "a worsening health crisis", with more children shifting from a healthy weight to being overweight or obese while at primary school, particularly in poorer areas. The BBC Panorama programme, The Truth About Baby Food Pouches, tested 18 baby food pouches made by leading brands in an approved were found to be low in vitamin C and iron, while some contained more sugar in a single pouch than a one-year-old should have in a investigation also found:Savoury pouches, used by some families as replacements for main meals, containing less than 5% of the key nutrient, iron, that an infant needs each dayA fruit pouch in which virtually all the vitamin C had been lost during the manufacturing processFruit pouches marketed as having "no added sugar" containing about four teaspoons of so-called "free sugars" (created when fruit is blended) - something that experts say is "intentionally misleading"Pouches being marketed to babies as young as four months old, against the clear recommendations of the UK government and the World Health Organization (WHO)The NHS says an infant should have as little sugar as possible, and that a one-year-old child should have no more than 10g of free sugars a sugars occur when fruit is pureed, as is the case with the pouches. Eating pieces of fresh fruit is much better for children. OHA director Katharine Jenner said: "The evidence is clear: children's health is being compromised from the very start of life."Given industry has failed to act voluntarily, it's now time for government intervention to protect the next generation and grant every child a healthier start."She said from the moment babies are born, they are are bombarded with sugary, highly processed foods."It's fuelling a health crisis that starts in infancy and is almost impossible to undo later in life. Ignoring the issue is no longer an option," she recent years, governments have brought in policies to help improve people diets.A sugar tax on soft drinks was introduced in 2019 and has helped removed huge amounts of sugar from drinks sold in Britain, according to Public Health England. Milk-based drinks such as lattes and milkshakes may now also be covered by the April 2022, hospitality businesses employing at least 250 staff - such as restaurant and café chains - had to print how many calories were in each dish on their supermarkets in England were also stopped from displaying certain unhealthy food and drink in particular areas.
STV News
01-05-2025
- Health
- STV News
Call for urgent action to protect infants from unhealthy food
Health campaigners have called on the Government to take urgent action to protect infants and young children following a study that found top brands are selling sugar-heavy, nutritionally poor baby food. A coalition of 40 leading health and child organisations have written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care following the findings of the Leeds University research, featured in the BBC Panorama investigation The Truth About Baby Food Pouches which looked at 632 food products marketed towards babies and toddlers under three. It found that 41% of main meals marketed for children had sugar levels that were too high and that 21% of ready-to-eat fruit products, cereals and meals were too watery and not providing adequate nutrition. It also discovered that many early weaning foods were being sold as being suitable for babies aged four months, which goes against NHS and World Health Organisation guidance. The study also found that a quarter of the products analysed were so high in sugar they would require a sugar warning label on the front of the pack, in accordance with WHO guidelines. According to NHS guidelines, babies aged one should have no more than ten grams of sugar per day, and no more than 14 grams per day for children aged two and three. The sugar recommendation is applicable to naturally occurring free sugars and added sugars. The coalition warned of a 'worsening health crisis', with government data showing more children shifting from a healthy weight to overweight or obesity between Reception and Year 6 than the reverse, especially in the most deprived areas. The Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) said it had serious concerns that without urgent action, today's children could grow up facing worse health outcomes than their parents. It is calling for stronger regulation of the commercial baby food sector, including mandatory limits for sugar in baby and toddler foods, stronger restrictions for 'unnecessary' follow-on formula milk products, and clearer, 'more responsible' marketing and labelling. The coalition said that despite recent progress – such as restrictions on junk food advertising on TV before 9pm and online at any time, the forthcoming multibuy promotion ban, and the proposed extension of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to sugary milk drinks – the measures did not go far enough. OHA director Katharine Jenner said: 'The evidence is clear: children's health is being compromised from the very start of life. 'Given industry has failed to act voluntarily, it's now time for government intervention to protect the next generation and grant every child a healthier start. 'From the moment they're born, babies are bombarded with sugary, highly processed foods. 'It's fuelling a health crisis that starts in infancy and is almost impossible to undo later in life. Ignoring the issue is no longer an option.' Which? head of food policy Sue Davies said: 'It's unacceptable that so many foods and snacks aimed at babies have such poor nutritional quality and high sugar levels. 'To make matters worse, these items are often misleadingly marketed as being healthy, making it difficult for parents to make informed choices about the best products to buy for their children. 'The Government urgently needs to update the out-of-date laws for commercial baby foods to ensure there are tighter controls on their composition, including limits on their sugar and salt content, make labelling clear and upfront, and clamp down on any misleading marketing claims that suggest products are healthier than they really are.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Western Telegraph
30-04-2025
- Health
- Western Telegraph
Campaigners call for urgent action to protect infants from unhealthy food
A coalition of 40 leading health and child organisations have written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care following the findings of the Leeds University research, featured in the BBC Panorama investigation The Truth About Baby Food Pouches which looked at 632 food products marketed towards babies and toddlers under three. It found that 41% of main meals marketed for children had sugar levels that were too high and that 21% of ready-to-eat fruit products, cereals and meals were too watery and not providing adequate nutrition. From the moment they're born, babies are bombarded with sugary, highly processed foods. It's fuelling a health crisis that starts in infancy and is almost impossible to undo later in life. Ignoring the issue is no longer an option Katharine Jenner, Obesity Health Alliance It also discovered that many early weaning foods were being sold as being suitable for babies aged four months, which goes against NHS and World Health Organisation guidance. The study also found that a quarter of the products analysed were so high in sugar they would require a sugar warning label on the front of the pack, in accordance with WHO guidelines. According to NHS guidelines, babies aged one should have no more than 10 grams of sugar per day, and no more than 14 grams per day for children aged two and three. The sugar recommendation is applicable to naturally occurring free sugars and added sugars. The coalition warned of a 'worsening health crisis', with government data showing more children shifting from a healthy weight to overweight or obesity between Reception and Year 6 than the reverse, especially in the most deprived areas. The Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) said it had serious concerns that without urgent action, today's children could grow up facing worse health outcomes than their parents. It is calling for stronger regulation of the commercial baby food sector, including mandatory limits for sugar in baby and toddler foods, stronger restrictions for 'unnecessary' follow-on formula milk products, and clearer, 'more responsible' marketing and labelling. The coalition said that despite recent progress – such as restrictions on junk food advertising on TV before 9pm and online at any time, the forthcoming multibuy promotion ban, and the proposed extension of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to sugary milk drinks – the measures did not go far enough. OHA director Katharine Jenner said: 'The evidence is clear: children's health is being compromised from the very start of life. 'Given industry has failed to act voluntarily, it's now time for government intervention to protect the next generation and grant every child a healthier start. 'From the moment they're born, babies are bombarded with sugary, highly processed foods. 'It's fuelling a health crisis that starts in infancy and is almost impossible to undo later in life. Ignoring the issue is no longer an option.' Which? head of food policy Sue Davies said: 'It's unacceptable that so many foods and snacks aimed at babies have such poor nutritional quality and high sugar levels. 'To make matters worse, these items are often misleadingly marketed as being healthy, making it difficult for parents to make informed choices about the best products to buy for their children. 'The Government urgently needs to update the out-of-date laws for commercial baby foods to ensure there are tighter controls on their composition, including limits on their sugar and salt content, make labelling clear and upfront, and clamp down on any misleading marketing claims that suggest products are healthier than they really are.'
