Some food products for babies and toddlers sold in Australian supermarkets are not meeting global nutritional guidelines, with parents being urged to read ingredient lists more carefully.<\/p>\n
Many items marketed for young children are loaded with additives, including sugar, raising concerns about their long-term health impacts.<\/p>\n
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Baby food fails nutritional guidelines<\/p>\n
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n For many families, squeeze and serve snacks have become a staple. But experts warn what\u2019s inside may not be as healthy as parents think.<\/p>\n Paediatric nutritionist Mandy Sacher says these products are designed to delight, with sweet and smooth textures created to hook tiny taste buds.<\/p>\n \u201cAdded sugars, thickness and flavours, the kind of things that set them up to enjoy ultra processed foods right from the start,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n One product examined, a chocolate custard from Rafferty\u2019s Garden marketed for babies six months and older, lists sugar as the third ingredient.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is literally dessert in a pouch,\u201d Sacher said.<\/p>\n At the moment, one in four products fail to meet nutrition standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and all of them fail to meet promotional recommendations, such as bright packaging and cartoon characters are used to attract kids and bold claims designed to reassure parents.<\/p>\n The George Institute for Global Health has found meals marketed as meat based can be as little as 8 per cent meat, while some veggie products only contain trace amounts.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t actually contain the nutrition that you think it does,\u201d warned the institute\u2019s Dr Daisy Cole.<\/p>\n More than one in four Australian children are currently overweight or obese. Without change, that number is expected to climb to half by 2050.<\/p>\n Sacher recommends babies from six months onwards should be introduced to finger foods to help strengthen their oral motor development, allowing the whole family to eat together.<\/p>\n Despite multiple attempts, Rafferty\u2019s did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n