Zoe Davies (ANutr), Nutritionist at Action on Sugar

Children are consuming more sugar than is recommended and their health is paying the price. Nearly 45,000 hospital operations were performed in August 2020 to remove rotting teeth in children[i], and the prevalence of children living with obesity doubles from reception to year 6[ii]. It is therefore vital we do what is necessary to ensure all children have access to a healthy diet as early as possible. Unfortunately, our latest report on commercial baby products found many companies are exposing children to harmful sugars, with the highest containing 14.5g sugars per serve, equivalent to 4 teaspoons[iii].

What’s more, despite many companies using processed fruit and vegetables as an ingredient[iv], most manufacturers chose to use legally permitted yet somewhat deceiving claims of ’no added sugar’ or ’only naturally occurring sugars’ on their products. This is highly misleading considering guidelines state children under the age of 2 years should not be consuming any added sugars, which includes free sugars from processed fruit and vegetables[v].

We know for a fact that parents are concerned about the level of sugars found in food and drink marketed for babies and toddlers[vi] and are in favour of Government action to make sure all food stocked in the baby aisle is nutritionally appropriate. Yet sadly, this sector is in a black hole when it comes to policies designed to protect children’s health, despite being a key contributor of sugars in infants[vii].

In 2017, the Government committed to expand its work on sugar reduction to this market with a review[viii] detailing the misalignment of commercial baby food and drinks against dietary advice for children up to the age of 3[ix]. Initial steps were taken to produce nutrition guidelines for the infant food and drink sector[x] but, following a consultation in 2020, these measures have not been implemented[xi] – seemingly collecting dust on policy makers desks.

It is now clear that there is an urgent need for robust measures to be introduced in order to incentivise the food industry to reduce sugar across a wide range of products, including those marketed for baby and toddlers. Furthermore, the long overdue Government guidelines for baby and toddler products must be published to guide manufacturers on how much sugars should be used so that they can act responsibly and commit to reformulation instead of foisting unhealthy products with misleading nutrition claims upon well-meaning parents.

References:

[i] Local Government Association (2020): https://www.local.gov.uk/lga-nearly-180-operationsday-remove-rotten-teethchildren

[ii] National Child Measurement Programme, England, 2021/22 school year https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/national-child-measurement-programme/2021-22- school-year

[iii] Sugar Awareness Week Report - Baby & Toddler Breakfasts https://www.actiononsugar.org/sugar-awareness-week/sugar-awareness-week-2022/sugar-awareness-week-survey/

[iv] A definition of free sugars for the UK. Swan et al. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/definition-of-free-sugars-for-the-uk/2A2B3A70999052A15FD157C105B3D745

[v] Government Dietary Recommendations. Government recommendations for energy and nutrients for males and females aged 1 – 18 years and 19+ years. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/618167/government_dietary_recommendations.pdf

[vi] Sugar Awareness Week Report - Baby & Toddler Breakfasts https://www.actiononsugar.org/sugar-awareness-week/sugar-awareness-week-2022/sugar-awareness-week-survey/

[vii] Office for Health Improvement & Disparities. Summary of draft report: Feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/feeding-young-children-aged-1-to-5-years-draft-sacn-report/summaryof-draft-report-feeding-young-children-aged-1-to-5-years

[viii] Public Health England 2017. Sugar Reduction: Achieving the 20% A technical report outlining progress to date, guidelines for industry, 2015 baseline levels in key foods and next steps https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/604336/Sugar_red uction_achieving_the_20_.pdf

[ix]Public Health England. 2019. Foods and drinks aimed at infants and young children: evidence and opportunities for action https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812204/Foods_an d_drinks_aimed_at_infants_and_young_children_June_2019.pdf

[x] Department of Health & Social Care. 2019. Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s – consultation document https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/advancing-our-health-prevention-in-the-2020s/advancing-our-healthprevention-in-the-2020s-consultation-document

[xi] Public Health England. 2020. DRAFT PROPOSALS: Commercial baby food and drink guidelines http://www.babymilkaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DRAFT-PHE-proposals-for-2023-commercial-baby-foodand-drink-guidelines.pdf