Alison Parrett

A growing body of research on commercial baby foods (CBFs) has reported nutritional composition, marketing, and labelling concerns. We aimed to review and consolidate the evidence on CBFs marketed for children 0–36 months in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand to inform UK policy by highlighting key issues with the current retail offer. A systematic search conducted on PubMed and Web of Science on three topics: (1) Nutritional Composition, Flavour Profile and Texture, (2) Marketing and Labelling, and (3) Parental Choice and Preferences. Studies on CBFs were included if conducted in English in specified countries, age, and published between 2019 and 2024. Out of 3143 studies screened, 31 full papers were separated into three topics and reviewed. Topic 1: Out of all products sampled, 56% were puréed and 18% were snacks. The median sugar content per 100 g (IQR) were 10.4 g (1.0) in purées, 20.3 g (9.9) in snacks, and 14.7 g (14.4) in cereals. Nearly half of all products contained added or free sugars (n = 13 studies), and 62% when looking at snacks alone (n = 6 studies). Topic 2: Six out of 9 studies had ‘no added sugar’ claims, and eight studies reported finding claims related to health or nutrition. Topic 3: All studies reported that health/development/nutrition were motivations to purchase CBFs, and 75% mentioned ‘baby's enjoyment’, ‘convenience/time’, and ‘safety’. Purées and snacks dominate the CBF market and are often high in sugars. Marketing claims are misleading and exploit parents' fears to motivate use.

Claims used in the marketing of commercial baby foods are often misleading, and there are concerns that they exploit parental anxieties. We adapted a hierarchical consumer emotions model to explore the emotional themes used in the marketing of commercial baby foods sold in the UK market. A survey administered in three large UK supermarkets collected in-store data on commercial baby food characteristics and the marketing claims used on commercial baby food packaging. The keywords found in these claims were entered in N-Vivo and allocated to four preexisting emotional themes: contentment, happiness, love, and pride. The prevalence of each theme was compared by age suitability (4+, 6+, 9+, and 12+ months) and taste (sweet/savoury) profile. A total of 1666 marketing claims (median 5, IQR 3) and 1003 emotional keywords (median 3, IQR 3) were identified on the packaging of 341 commercial baby foods. Foods suitable for infants aged 6+ months displayed more claims (50%, p < 0.05) and emotional keywords (56%, p = 0.07). Savoury foods displayed more emotional keywords (63%, p < 0.001). The keywords “little”, “encourage”, “love(ly)”, and “tiny” were the most frequently used words under the theme of love (36% total contribution). The emotional connotations of the keywords under the theme “love” are extensively used in the marketing claims on commercial baby food packaging. These might exploit parental vulnerabilities and influence their purchasing of commercial baby foods.

Social media influencers (SMI) are individuals with large follower engagement, who can shape the thoughts and dietary behaviours of their audience. Concerns exist surrounding the spread of dietary misinformation by SMI, which may impact negatively on public health, yet no standards currently exist to assess the credibility of their information. This study aimed to evaluate the credibility of key SMI weight management (WM) blogs (n = 9), piloting a pre-prepared credibility checklist. SMI were included if they had a blue-tick verification on ≥2 social media (SM) and an active WM blog. A sample of blog posts were systematically evaluated against thirteen credibility indicators under four themes: ‘transparency’, ‘use of other resources’, ‘trustworthiness and adherence to nutritional criteria’ and ‘bias’. Indicators were yes/no questions to determine an overall credibility percentage for each SMI. The ten most recent meal recipes from each blog were evaluated against Public Health England’s (PHE) calorie targets and the UK ‘traffic light’ food labelling scheme to assess nutritional quality. Percentages ranged from 23–85%, the highest gained by a Registered Nutritionist. SMI blogs may not be credible as WM resources. Given the popularity and impact of SM in the context of overweight, obesity and WM, this study may inform the methodological approach for future research.

Children’s fussy eating is associated with a reduced vegetable intake. This quasi-experimental study evaluated “Big Chef Little Chef” (BCLC), a nursery-based cooking skills programme aimed at reducing food fussiness and increasing willingness to try green vegetables by incorporating repeated exposure and sensory learning. Parent and child (3–5 years) dyads attended BCLC for four/1.5 h weekly sessions. A comparison group was recruited after BCLC completion and attended a single education session at week 1. A questionnaire measured food fussiness at week 1 and week 4. At week 4, all children were offered six green vegetables (raw and cooked) and an average score (1 = did not try; 2 = tried it/ate some; 3 = ate it all) was calculated for willingness to try vegetables. In total, 121 dyads (intervention: n = 64; comparison: n = 57) participated. The food fussiness score (1 min–5 max) in the intervention group decreased significantly from 3.0 to 2.6 (p < 0.01) between time points, while there was no change in the comparison group (3.1 (week 1) and 3.0 (week 4)). The intervention group was more willing to try green vegetables with significantly higher (p < 0.001) median scores for raw and cooked vegetables (2.5 for both) compared with the comparison group (2.0 and 1.7, respectively). The BCLC reduced food fussiness and increased willingness to try green vegetables.

Ready to eat breakfast cereals (REBCs) and yoghurts provide important nutrients to children’s diets, but concerns about their high sugar content exist. Food reformulation could contribute to sugar reduction, but policies across countries are not uniform. We aimed to compare the sugar content and nutritional quality of child-orientated REBCs and yoghurts in Latin American countries with the UK. In a cross-sectional study, nutritional information, marketing strategies, and claims were collected from the food labels and packaging of products available in Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador and the UK. Nutritional quality was assessed using the UK Ofcom Nutrient Profiling System. In total, 262 products were analysed (59% REBCs/41% yoghurts). REBCs in the UK had a lower sugar content (mean ± SD) (24.6 ± 6.4) than products in Ecuador (34.6 ± 10.8; p < 0.001), Mexico (32.6 ± 7.6; p = 0.001) and Guatemala (31.5 ± 8.3; p = 0.001). Across countries, there were no differences in the sugar content of yoghurts. A large proportion (83%) of REBCs and 33% of yoghurts were classified as “less healthy”. In conclusion, the sugar content of REBCs in Latin America is higher than those of the UK, which could be attributed to the UK voluntary sugar reduction programme. Sugar reformulation policies are required in Guatemala, Mexico and Ecuador.

Following complementary feeding (CF) guidelines might be challenging for mothers lacking time, resources and/or information. We aimed to explore CF practices, information needs and channels used to obtain information in parents living in areas of socioeconomic deprivation. Sixty-four parents of infants aged 4–12 months completed a short questionnaire and 21 were interviewed. Mean (SD) weaning age was 5 ± 2.5 months, foods given >7 times/week included commercial baby foods (33%) and fruits (39%) while 86% gave formula daily. The main sources of CF information were friends and family (91%), the internet (89%) and health visitors (77%). Online forums (20%), e.g., Facebook and Netmums, were used to talk to other parents because they felt that “not enough” information was given to them by health professionals. Parents felt access to practical information was limited and identified weaning classes or online video tutorials could help meet their needs. Themes identified in qualitative findings were (1) weaning practices (i.e., concerns with child’s eating; and (2) information sources and needs (i.e., trust in the National Health Service (NHS) as a reliable source, need for practical advice). In conclusion, parents are accessing information from a number of non-evidence-based sources and they express the need for more practical advice.

Objectives To investigate the nutritional quality of foods marketed to children in the UK, to explore the use of health and nutrition claims, and to assess their healthiness. Design This cross-sectional study was carried out in seven UK supermarkets: Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Lidl and Waitrose. Products marketed as healthy to children above the age of 1 year containing child-oriented imagery including cartoon characters and terms such as ‘one of 5-a-day’ on product packaging were identified both in stores and online. Information on sugar, salt and fat content, as well as health and nutrition claims, was recorded. The Ofcom nutrient profiling model (NPM) was used to assess if products were healthy. Results Three hundred and thirty-two products, including breakfast cereals, fruit snacks, fruit-based drinks, dairy products and ready meals, were sampled. The use of cartoon characters (91.6%), nutrition claims (41.6%) and health claims (19.6%) was a common marketing technique. The one of 5-a-day claim was also common (41.6%), but 75.4% (103) of products which made this claim were made up of less than 80 g of fruit and vegetables. Sugar content (mean±SD per 100 g) was high in fruit snacks (48.4±16.2 g), cereal bars (28.9±7.5 g) and cereals (22.9±8.0 g). Overall, 41.0% of the products were classified as less healthy according to the Ofcom NPM. Conclusion A large proportion of products marketed to children through product packaging are less healthy, and claims used on product packaging are misrepresentative. Strict regulations on food labelling and product composition are required.

We evaluated a 6-week community-based cooking programme, “Eat Better Feel Better”, aimed at tackling barriers to cooking and healthy eating using a single-group repeated measures design. 117 participants enrolled, 62 completed baseline and post-intervention questionnaires, and 17 completed these and a 3–4 months follow-up questionnaire. Most participants were female, >45 years, and socioeconomically deprived. Confidence constructs changed positively from baseline to post-intervention (medians, scale 1 “not confident” to 7 “very confident”): “cooking using raw ingredients” (4, 6 p < 0.003), “following simple recipe” (5, 6 p = 0.003), “planning meals before shopping” (4, 5 p = p = 0.044), “shopping healthier food” (4, 5 p = 0.007), “cooking new foods” (3, 5 p < 0.001), “cooking healthier foods” (4, 5 p = 0.001), “storing foods safely” (5, 6 p = 0.002); “using leftovers” (4, 5 p = 0.002), “cooking raw chicken” (5, 6 p = 0.021), and “reading food labels” (4, 5 p < 0.001). “Microwaving ready-meals” decreased 46% to 39% (p = 0.132). “Preparing meals from scratch” increased 48% to 59% (p = 0.071). Knowledge about correct portion sizes increased 47% to 74% (p = 0.002). Spending on ready-meals/week decreased. Follow-up telephone interviewees (n = 42) reported developing healthier eating patterns, spending less money/wasting less food, and preparing more meals/snacks from raw ingredients. The programme had positive effects on participants’ cooking skills confidence, helped manage time, and reduced barriers of cost, waste, and knowledge.)

Mono-and disaccharides may exist in amorphous form with a random molecular order in some food products, as reviewed by White and Cakebread [3] and Roos [4]. Such products include dehydrated food products (such as milk and whey powders that are obtained via spray-drying as well as freeze-dried fruit and berries) and hard sugar candies that have been produced by rapid cooling. Also, other food processes, such as freezing and extrusion cooking, can produce amorphous ( noncrystalline), often solid structures, such as a freeze-concentrated, unfrozen phase of frozen products (e.g., in ice cream) and crisp and brittle snack products, respectively. Amorphous sugar and a sugarcontaining matrix may encapsulate various compounds, such as aroma compounds and bioactive substances, as reviewed by Karel [5]. Encapsulation may increase the stability of these compounds by preventing oxidation of the encapsulated compounds.