Nearly 60% of baby food sold in US grocery stores is unhealthy, according to WHO study

Almost 60% of commercially manufactured infant and toddler products Groceries available in the 10 largest grocery stores in the USA did not meet Nutritional standards, according to a study by the World Health Organization.

Hundreds of products tested

Researchers tested 651 products for nutritional value between March and May 2023 and found that only 30% of the products met WHO standards.

Packaged snack-sized foods were shown to be the least compliant with nutritional requirements.

The baby food products were found in 10 grocery stores, including Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Ahold Delhaize, Publix, Sam’s Club, Target, Aldi, HEB and Safeway.

The study included foods found in the “Baby” section and under the “Baby” tab on the stores’ websites. Yoghurts and baby food products from the dairy, egg and refrigerated sections were therefore excluded.

Products such as infant formula, fortified milk, and oral electrolytes were also excluded from the study because they are separately regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Misleading labels

In addition to finding that nearly 60% of the foods tested did not meet WHO nutritional standards, it also noted that there were concerns related to the use of “health and nutritional claims and wellness messages on these products.”

“Infant and toddler formula is often advertised with extensive health and nutritional claims that make it difficult for parents and caregivers to accurately assess its health value,” the study says.

Words such as “healthy,” “convenient,” and “suitable for child development” were often found on some foods that did not meet WHO nutritional standards.

“Manufacturers often use these advertising claims to distract consumers from the poor nutritional profile of a product,” the researchers said.

These terms are also often used for foods that contain non-nutritious ingredients, such as sugar.

Why this is important

“Nutrition in early childhood, especially in the first 1,000 days, is crucial for healthy growth and development and for preventing overweight and obesity,” the study says. “As early childhood is an important period for developing healthy eating habits, frequent consumption of these products may lead to unhealthy eating habits in the long term and increase the risk of chronic diseases into adulthood.”

In 2023 new research showed that severe obesity is becoming increasingly common among young children in the United States

This increase is consistent with other national data showing that about 2.5 percent of all preschool children were severely obese during the same period.

“We were on the right track and now we’re seeing this upward trend,” said one of the study authors, Heidi Blanck of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We are dismayed by these results.”

The researchers said the WHO’s latest findings should serve as a “wake-up call for policy makers.”