Baby food manufacturers have been given 18 months by the government to reduce sugar and salt in their products, amid growing concern that poor diets are harming infant development.
The Department of Health and Social Care has introduced new rules on baby food labelling to help parents make better choices. The changes will require companies to cut sugar and salt levels without using sweeteners, reported Sky News.
Under the new limits, desserts and breakfast foods such as rice pudding, custard, and fruit porridges must contain less than 10g of sugar per 100g. Baby meals must not exceed 60mg of salt per 100 calories, with a slightly higher cap of 100mg if cheese is included in the recipe.
The guidelines also target misleading packaging and marketing. Products promoted as suitable snacks for babies over seven months will no longer be allowed, since official advice is that children between six and 12 months should only have milk between meals. Labels that suggest products are healthier than they really are, such as “contains no nasties” on foods high in sugar, will also be banned.
The move follows a June report from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which showed that more than two-thirds of toddlers consume too much sugar.
