Health Experts Demand Immediate Government Action

Leading health organisations have urged the UK government to tighten regulations on baby foods loaded with sugar and lacking key nutrients. The Obesity Health Alliance (OHA), a coalition of 40 public health groups, called for immediate measures to protect babies and toddlers from misleading marketing and poor-quality food. OHA warned that children face constant exposure to unhealthy food and urged the government to impose sugar limits on baby foods, require warning labels, and improve access to healthy options for low-income families.

Investigation Exposes Nutritional Gaps

A BBC Panorama investigation tested 18 baby food pouches from six major UK brands and revealed serious concerns:

• Some savoury pouches, used as main meals, contained less than 5% of a baby’s daily iron requirement.

• A fruit pouch lost almost all its vitamin C during processing.

• Products labelled “no added sugar” still contained up to four teaspoons of free sugars from blended fruit.

• Several brands targeted babies as young as four months, contradicting UK and WHO guidelines.

The NHS (National Health Service) recommends minimal sugar for infants and sets a limit of 10g of free sugars per day for one-year-olds.

OHA Warns of a Growing Health Crisis

OHA raised alarms over the rising rates of childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay, particularly in disadvantaged communities. In a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the alliance urged the government to stop food companies from compromising children’s health.

“Without action, children will grow up with worse health than their parents,” OHA warned. “We’re already seeing more children become overweight during primary school.” OHA Director Katharine Jenner said the food industry’s failure to act demands government intervention. “Babies are bombarded with sugary, ultra-processed food from birth,” she said. “This fuels a lifelong health crisis that we can no longer ignore.”

Current Measures Fall Short

The government has taken some steps to promote healthier diets—like the 2019 sugar tax on soft drinks, calorie labelling in large food chains, and product placement rules in supermarkets. However, experts say these policies do not go far enough to protect infants. OHA called on the government to fill that gap and ensure baby foods support healthy growth rather than undermine it.

Source: BBC