Baby food – packs of lies?

Do you agree with sugar-free birthday cakes at children’s parties? I don’t. There’s nothing more disappointing.

But what does turn me the colour of acai berry with rage is things that pretend to be good for your baby when they’re not. Companies who use their words to claim to be healthy and enriched with good stuff. Clever phrases such as ‘added vitamins’, ‘no added flavours or preservatives’, ‘no added salt’ – benefits deliberately highlighted to distract you from all the bad stuff they are filled with.

Take one well-known brand’s rusks for example. They have more sugar in them, per 100g, than dark chocolate digestives.*

Oh, and their creamy baby porridge? ‘Mum’s number one choice’, ‘no added salt’, ‘1/3 of baby’s vitamins and minerals’? But it’s only 40 per cent porridge oats and there are 6.7g of sugar per 100g serving.*

Not to mention that their toddlers’ mini cheese biscuits contain more saturated fat, per 100g, than a quarter pounder with cheese.*

But you’d never know to read the packaging. Eating good or bad food should be a choice. And companies should be honest about their packaging, especially for people brand new to the world.

*Stats from the Children’s Food Campaign.