The commercial baby and toddler food industry has come under scrutiny this week, following last night’s BBC Panorama programme, The Truth About Baby Food Pouches and compelling new research from the University of Leeds. Together, they expose a market flooded with low quality products, where poor nutritional content is hidden behind misleading branding and on-pack claims.
One of the most concerning findings was that cheaper baby food products, such as snacks and pouches, which families are increasingly turning to due to cost-of-living pressures, are often higher in sugar and, in the case of pouches, lower in energy. Among parents in the lowest income groups who responded to a survey commissioned by Sustain and the University of Leeds research team, 1 in 3 reported making ‘significant’ changes to their purchasing habits because of financial strain, pushing them towards cheaper, lower-quality baby food products.
At Alexandra Rose Charity, we believe that every child deserves a healthy start in life. Through our Rose Vouchers for Fruit & Veg Project, we enable families on low incomes to access fresh fruit and veg, ensuring they can provide nutritious, unprocessed foods for their children without compromise. Parents shouldn’t have to choose between affordability and nutrition, yet for many, that’s the daily reality. As Abbie, a mum of two from our Rose Vouchers for Fruit & Veg Project in Liverpool tells us:
Fruit and vegetables are so expensive in the supermarket, I want to buy them for my kids, but my budget doesn’t stretch to what I need for two children. The food that costs the most is always the stuff you need most for your kids. It’s cheaper to get a burger than a salad; it shouldn’t be that way around.
The call for greater regulation of the baby food market is urgently needed – parents deserve honest information, clear standards, and products they can trust. But we also know that giving families the means to access fresh fruit and veg can have a transformative impact. That’s why financial incentive projects like Rose Vouchers are so vital. By putting fresh fruit and veg within reach of families on low incomes, we’re not just supporting healthier choices, we’re removing barriers for parents to give their children the best possible start in life.