Australian babies and toddlers are eating unhealthy amounts of sugar. This is mainly because the products marketed and sold by the processed food industry are high in sugar.
Based on the last Australian National Nutrition Surveychildren 2 to 3 years old consumed 32 grams of added sugar per day equivalent to 8 teaspoons of white sugar.
Our research shows that the increased availability of ultra-processed foods for very young children may be contributing to a sugary diet.
So what can parents do about it?
What does excess sugar do to children?
The problem with too much sugar in our diets is that it provides kilojoules but little else nutritionally.
These extra kilojoules promote weight gain and obesity. They also contribute strongly to cavities in young children And often scroll healthy options such as fruits, vegetables, and dairy products from a child’s diet.
One in every four Australian children have dental cavities in their milk or permanent teeth.
the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that “free sugar intake” be limited to less than 10% of our total daily calories for everyone. In fact, the WHO is now considering reducing that amount to 5% given the knowledge children’s sugar intake remains high.
free sugars They are those added to food and beverages, as well as the sugars naturally present in honey, fruit juices, and fruit juice concentrates. Free sugars do not include naturally occurring sugars found in whole (unprocessed) fruits and vegetables or milk.
Results of the Australian National Nutrition Survey indicate that young children aged 2 to 3 years consumed an average of 11% of their total energy intake from free sugar. Half of the toddlers exceeded the current WHO sugar-free sugar recommendation.
Where does the sugar come from?
The latest in National Health poll it also tells us that sugar comes mostly from highly processed foods like baked goods, sugary drinks, chocolate and confectionery, breakfast cereals, and desserts.
these foods provide 80-90% of children’s daily added sugar intake.
But it’s not just about sweets. Commercial baby and toddler foods are a major source of hidden sugars in young children’s diets. It is largely ultra-processed foods that have undergone multiple industrial processes. They contain ingredients like added sugar, salt, fat, and additives to make them attractive. Ultra-processed foods often contain ingredients that would not be used if we made a similar product at home.
our research shows, ultra-processed foods, particularly snack foods, are common. They comprise 85% of all food marketed to young children in Australia (as of 2019).
These ultra-processed toddler foods often contain ingredients like fruit pastes, purees, or concentrates. They may sound healthy, with slogans like “made from real fruit,” but they are very different from the whole fruit from which they come.
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Read more:
Ultra-processed foods are destroying our health and the planet
Consumers may assume that these products are healthy due to the labeling and images of fruit on the package. but our body handles ultra-processed foods very different from how a whole food does, which has had no or minimal processing.
Some toddler foods marketed as “no added sugar” or “all natural” are, in some cases, even 50% fruit sugar in the form of purees or fruit concentrates.
Some milk for toddlers, which are also ultra-processed, contain more sugar in the same volume as a soft drink. and almost a third of salty foods for young children also contain fruit purees.
While this can make the food more palatable to a child, ensuring that parents will buy it again, it also ensures that children develop a sweet tooth preference.
Read more:
Food and drinks are getting sweeter. Although not everything is sugar, it is bad for our health
3 things parents can do
While it is not necessary to eliminate all free sugar, the evidence tells us that most children consume more than is good for them. So how can we reduce that?
1. Demand accurate labeling
Honest food labeling is needed in which food manufacturers are required to disclose the amount of added sugar in food products. For example, a clear definition of “added sugar” would ensure that all harmful sugars are listed on food labels, including highly processed fruit-based ingredients used in baby and toddler foods. You can sign up to advocate for this through the children are sweet enough Campaign.
2. Pantry Swaps
Replace sugar-sweetened foods with foods that are often already in the kitchen. Swap common sources of sugar, including cakes, cookies, pastries, sugar, and sweet spreads with whole-grain breads, low-sugar cereals (such as porridge or Weet-Bix), vegetables, and fruits (cut to the right size for swallow them) and nut pastes.
Exchange sugary drinks, sweetened milk products and infant milks with plain water (boiled and chilled for children over 6 months) and unflavored cow’s milk (from 12 months).
3. Connect to places to learn more
For practical advice and support about feeding your baby or toddler, download the My Baby Now app from the App Store or Google Play.
Parents can join our free online course Child nutritioneither search here to see if the INFANT (Infant Food, Play and Nutrition) Program is running in your area.
Read more:
Sugar detox? Cut carbs? A doctor explains why you should keep fruit on the menu
