A spokesperson for the Children's Food Campaign called the results "staggering" and noted that one product, Heinz Toddler's Own Mini Cheese Biscuits, contains the same amount of sugar and saturated fat as an equally weighted portion of a McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese. They also found one product containing trans fats.
The other half of the products the group surveyed followed Britain's Food Standards Agency guidelines for low saturated fat, salt, and sugar content. Cow & Gate, the maker of the biscuits containing trans fats, reported they have already pulled the product after consulting the Foods Standards Agency.
It's important to note that these baby foods were found in supermarkets in the UK. It also seems like the perfect opportunity to scan the labels of the foods you are feeding your baby to make sure the sugar, sodium, and fat content falls within a healthy range you and your pediatrician are comfortable with for your child.
All this makes me wonder: Why, why, why is this the case? Have you ever seen a kid go to town on a plain banana? Or a Cheerio? Why in the world would adding junk to the package make it more appealing?
I took a look at nutritional information for foods made by Beech-Nut and Gerber and was pleased to find low levels of fat, sugar, and sodium in products for babies. Those levels creep up with each stage, and I was a little concerned about the sodium level in the beef stew, chicken stew, and pasta jarred products, particularly those made by Beech-Nut. Gerber's crackers, Biter Biscuits, and cookies seem fine to me (I am speaking as a health conscious mom here) but did seem to have a lot of sodium. I can't offer nutritional advice on the baby and toddler foods found on our own grocery shelves, but this news certainly made me think more critically about what's really inside those jars and boxes (other than offensive smells and sticky consistency that gets brick-like as it hardens, and of course the odd, creamy colors).
Obviously, the convenience of packaged baby and toddler foods is a must for many parents, and I would never argue with that. I will say, though, that making baby food for my child was much easier and more fun than I anticipated, and far better for the budget and recycle bin than the kinds I could buy in the store.
If making your own baby and toddler food is of interest to you or if the food you're giving your baby is meeting their nutritional needs, I highly recommend that you visit WholesomeBabyFood.com as a valuable resource for recipes, allergy and nutritional information, and support.
Are you happy with the nutritional quality of baby foods and snacks found in this country? Or do you think we need to reassess how healthy our own packaged step one, two, and three foods are?
[photo credit: Getty Images]
