Health organisations urge the government to release baby food guidelines

Introducing good nutrition early on is essential in developing a healthy relationship to, and preference for, healthy foods, and in supporting a baby’s future health. It is recommended that infants (before the age of two) should avoid sugar-sweetened drinks and food with added sugar, and, after this, free sugars should provide no more than five per cent of their daily energy intake (approximately 14g). However, shockingly, by the time children are 18 months, they are reportedly already consuming nearly 30g free sugars (7tsp) a day – the recommended maximum for an adult.

Although many baby food brands are already reducing sugars, there are still products marketed as suitable for infants and young children with unsuitably high levels of sugar. As illustrated in Table 1, the range in total sugar levels in similar products can be a whopping 64g difference!