NHS warns parents NOT to give ‘baby pouches’ sold in UK supermarkets to children under a year old

THE NHS has advised parents against “convenient” baby food pouches found in major supermarkets across the UK. New research has revealed that the pouches are not a suitable “equivalent” to real food or breast milk. Baby food pouches have been discovered to have much higher sugar content than breast milk (stock) Credit: StockPlanets New findings, led by the University of Glasgow, have revealed that commercial baby food pouches are more similar to sugary drinks than nutritious food. As a result, the NHS has advised parents to “not rely” on food pouches as “everyday food” and to check food labels for the ones “with the least amount of sugar”. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! The research, published yesterday (August 25), reviewed 298 commercial baby food products targeted towards children under 12 months, of which 178 were in spout pouches. Of those, 61 per cent had higher sugar content than breast milk, while 48 of the spout pouches (29 per cent) met none of the “desired criteria”. This criteria included whether the puree had contained more energy and protein than breast milk and whether it had a sugar content no higher than breast milk. Guidance on the NHS Start for Life website now recommends parents to squeeze the contents from pouches onto a spoon to minimise the risk of tooth decay in children under 12 months. It added: “portion sizes are often too big and much of it has the same texture. “This may make it harder for your baby to accept more varied textures and move on to family foods as they get older.” Most read in Health Dr Ada Garcia, lead author of the study, said that high sugar intake in early childhood had “long-term health implications” and that pouch products generally did not meet the characteristics of complementary foods. Instead, the NHS suggests to trial your baby on a variety of different tastes and textures, including vegetables, dairy and protein – and to allow them plenty of time to explore new foods. Comment now