Sugar and salt in the spotlight as baby food industry put on notice

UK Government pledges to crack down on 'misleading' baby food labels in major health drive

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Baby food manufacturers have been given 18 months to cut sugar and salt in their products, to address concerns that infants' development is being harmed by poor diets.

Accompanying new guidelines to clarify labelling on baby food will help parents make informed choices about what they feed their children, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

Manufacturers will be challenged to change the recipes for their products to reduce levels of salt and sugar, without the use of sweeteners, which are not permitted for use in commercial baby food.

For example, baby desserts and breakfasts such as rice pudding, custard and ready-to-eat fruity porridge should contain less than 10g of total sugar per 100g, while baby meals should have no more than 60mg of salt per 100 calories or 100mg per 100 calories if cheese is included in the recipe.

The guidelines will also tackle misleading labelling that often conflicts with official feeding advice.

For example, some products labelled as snacks for babies from seven months on directly contradict government recommendations that children aged between six and 12 months do not need snacks between meals, only milk.

Manufacturers will also be told to stop using misleading marketing claims that make products appear healthier than they are, for example products with labels such as "contains no nasties" when they may be high in sugar.