Almost a quarter of popular branded baby foods sold in UK supermarkets still contain excessive amounts of sugar, a year after the government introduced voluntary industry guidelines. An analysis of 224 branded infant foods and snacks found that 51 products (23%) contained too much sugar.
The analysis, conducted by gut health company Alba Health, also revealed that more than half (58%) of the products breached at least one of the nine guidelines. A quarter of all products breached two or more of these guidelines, which were introduced in August 2025.
The government's 2025 guidelines gave baby food manufacturers 18 months to reduce sugar and salt, stop marketing snacks to infants under 12 months, and address misleading labelling. Brands included in the study were Ella’s Kitchen, Heinz, Organix, HiPP, Kiddylicious, Little Freddie, Piccolo, Aptamil, and Cow & Gate.
Nora Cavani, CEO of Alba Health, stated that the data indicates voluntary standards have not worked. Prof Steve Turner of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said that only mandatory nutritional standards and regulation would provide the necessary protection for babies and children.
The analysis also found that about 6% of foods (14 products) breached NHS salt recommendations for babies under one. Labelling and marketing breaches were identified in 28% of products, including 31 snacks marketed to children as young as six months old.