Quarter of branded baby foods in UK still have too much sugar, analysis finds

Exclusive: Of 224 branded infant foods and snacks, more than half are in breach of guidelines brought in a year ago Almost a quarter of popular branded baby foods sold in UK supermarkets still contain excessive amounts of sugar, analysis suggests, a year after the government introduced voluntary industry guidelines. In August 2025 the government gave baby food manufacturers 18 months to reduce the sugar and salt content of their products, stop marketing snacks to infants under 12 months, and address misleading and inaccurate labelling that makes some infant foods appear healthier than they actually are. An analysis of 224 branded infant foods and snacks has found that, a year on, more than half (58%) breached at least one of the nine guidelines and that a quarter of all products breached two or more. Nora Cavani, the chief executive and co-founder of Alba Health, a gut health company that conducted the analysis, said: “Parents are not failing their children – they are being misled. Products that contain more sugar than a child should consume in a day are sold under the banner of health and nature. A year on from the guidelines’ introduction, the data shows voluntary standards haven