Baby food guidelines signal change

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced new voluntary guidelines aimed at improving the nutritional quality of commercial baby foods. With the target of being adopted within 18 months, manufacturers must reduce sugar and salt levels in products intended for children up to 36 months. Clearer labelling is also on the agenda, to better align with dietary guidelines and inform parents.

The guidelines form part of the Government’s Plan for Change  that concerns tackling the sugar found in snack foods for young children.  

What the guidelines cover

• Sugar & salt reduction
  Targets for lowering added sugar and salt in foods for babies and toddlers by product category:

• Salt (all categories)

  Less than 60mg sodium per 100 kcal (with the exception of fruit and vegetable foods which ) or less than 100mg sodium per 100 kcal if cheese is mentioned in front of pack name.

Product Category	Added Sugars Guidelines	Sugar Guidelines
Baby Meals
Fruit & vegetable foods	No added sugars or sweetening agents	No total sugar guideline
Main meals		≤5% fruit content by weight
Dry cereals		≤10% fruit content per 100g dry weight (not as prepared)
Desserts & breakfasts		<10g per 100g
Soups, stocks, cooking sauces & ‘other’ (e.g., rice, pasta)		No total sugar guideline
Finger Foods (Under 12 Months)
Savoury & sweet finger foods	No added sugars	<10% of energy per 100g
Fruit & veg-based (>25% fruit/veg)		<25% of energy per 100g
Finger Foods & Snacks (12 Months and Over)
Savoury & sweet finger foods/snacks	N/A	<10% of energy per 100g
Fruit & veg-based (>25% fruit/veg)		<25% of energy per 100g

• Clearer labelling
  Ending claims (“no nasties,” “snack for 7 months+”) that could misguide parents, particularly when they conflict with official feeding advice.

• No sweeteners permitted
  No added sugars or sweetening agents permitted in snacks and finger foods for children under 12 months or baby meals under 36 months.

• Voluntary nature with review
  Guidance is non-binding, but DHSC will evaluate compliance in 18 months and "will consider additional or alternative measures if businesses fail to implement these guidelines”.

• Out of scope
  Infant and follow-on formula, and toddler and growing-up milks, are out of the scope of these guidelines.

Why now?

The new baby food guidelines don’t exist in isolation. They are arriving at a moment when the scrutiny of commercial baby foods, or more specifically baby food pouches, has reached a peak.

The BBC Panorama programme “The Truth About Baby Food Pouches”, which first aired in April 2025, highlighted the high sugar content of many baby products and the inconsistencies in how they are marketed. It demonstrated that many popular pouches were high in sugar but low in key nutrients like iron and vitamin C. In lab tests, some products surpassed a one-year-old’s entire daily sugar limit while others were low in iron.

That broadcast drew heavily on findings from the University of Leeds report, Commercial Baby Foods in Crisis, which analysed over 630 products and found:

• Over half of products contained added sugar, which is advised against for children aged under 2 .

• 25% of the products surveyed would require a front-of-pack warning label for high sugar.

• Products marketed for babies as young as 4 months went against NHS and WHO advice to begin weaning at 6 months.

The health stakes

Childhood obesity is a growing concern: the National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that more than two-thirds of children aged 18 months to 3 years consume too much sugar and the National Child Measurement Programme details that 22% of children in England enter primary school overweight or obese.

Obesity costs the NHS £11.4 billion annually and increases risks of diabetes, heart disease, dental decay and cancer, so early dietary intervention matters.

International alignment

The UK is not acting alone. Globally, the regulation of baby food is tightening. The World Health Organization advises against added sugars for infants and young children. The European Union has imposed stricter marketing regulations and Chile’s front-of-pack warning labels for excessive nutrients includes baby food categories.

For UK businesses, this global shift presents a strategic opportunity.  Reformulation and labelling changes should be designed with international consistency in mind. Companies that align early with global best practice will be better positioned for export growth and insulated from future regulatory changes.

Shifting expectations of the wider landscape

These baby food guidelines should be seen as part of a bigger movement.

The UK has a track record of using targets to nudge the food system towards healthier outcomes: from the salt reduction programme to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. By focusing now on baby foods, the government is sending a clear signal that early-life nutrition is the next frontier. This is both a public health priority and a reputational issue for the industry.

Additionally, parents and carers are increasingly aware of the role that diet plays in shaping children’s long-term health, and recent media coverage has amplified concerns about the sugar content of everyday baby foods. Campaign groups and health professionals have also called for more transparency and responsibility from manufacturers.

Parents expect baby products to meet a higher standard of care, and the new guidelines reinforce that expectation. While not legally binding, they signal to the market that a shift is underway.

For industry, the opportunity lies in getting ahead of the curve. Companies that reformulate sooner, market responsibly, and engage with parents transparently will be best placed to strengthen trust and loyalty in a sensitive category.

Thoughts for industry

• Reformulation
  Reduce sugar and salt levels where possible. Prioritise recipes that are vegetable-first, nutrient-dense and maintain energy density for weaning needs.

• Labelling
  Avoid using language that could mislead on the overall healthfulness of a product, align age recommendations with NHS/WHO, and include nutrient-first messaging rather than vague slogans. A label overhaul now builds consumer trust and pre-empts potential regulation.

• Transparency
  Report progress publicly to build consumer trust and get ahead of potential mandatory reporting regulation.

• Parent education
  Help parents navigate healthy feeding choices, and identify the most suitable  options for their child at each stage.

• Collaborate with peers and retailers
   Work collectively to align labelling standards and create category-wide consistency that builds consumer confidence.

IGD opinion

This is a step in the right direction. The new guidelines give the industry a window to reformulate and label more responsibly. If embraced widely, the market could shift towards healthier options and nudge population diets in a better direction. Leading to diets that more closely align with government advice on introducing solid foods, better protect dental health and contribute to improving infant dietary intakes.

However, the challenge is not just what’s on the shelf, but what families actually choose. The Panorama spotlight on fruit purees has intensified public debate but purees themselves represent just one small slice of early-years diets. Only 1% of eating occasions for one to fives now come from the baby aisle and 29% don’t eat any fruit and vegetables at home. This highlights a critical risk: if parents turn away from baby foods in response to media coverage, they may substitute them with less suitable options that are not formulated with infants in mind.

Industry has a role to play in providing healthier alternatives that are accessible, affordable, and trusted, but reformulation alone will not solve the wider dietary challenges. Progress requires parallel efforts: government action to shift household eating patterns, retailers supporting healthier ranges, and consistent education to guide parents through weaning.

Moreover, the guidelines are still voluntary, which means change may not happen as fast or as comprehensively as health advocates would like. Businesses have 18 months from the publication of these guidelines to implement both the salt and sugar targets and the actions on labelling and marketing. The real test will come after February 2027 when the DHSC reviews compliance. If uptake is poor, the Government may tighten rules, moving from encouragement to enforcement.

Ultimately, business strategies, accountability and tracking of compliance, will determine whether voluntary guidelines truly shift product composition, and, downstream, improve infant and toddler nutrition.