Kids are sweet enough

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All children deserve the best start in life, ensuring they can grow and develop in the healthiest way possible.

For many children, ready-made baby and toddler foods make up a significant portion of what they eat every day. These foods should support good health and wellbeing, but many do not. The processed food industry uses sugars, including highly processed fruit sugars, in these ready-made foods and promotes them with claims and product names to make them appear healthy.

The Australian Government must set higher standards for the ingredients, labelling and promotion of baby and toddler foods. The first step is mandatory  added sugar labelling to ensure sugars can be easily identified.

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Our 3 key actions

We're advocating for government to change the law to support
a healthy diet for babies and toddlers across three key areas.

01

Prevent processed food companies adding sugars to baby and toddler foods

Sugar spoom

02

Ensure foods for babies and toddlers are free from promotional claims

Fruit bar

03

Ensure the names of baby and toddler foods accurately reflect ingredients

Apple Baby food

FAQs 

How many young children eat ready-made foods?

Our research with the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne found that 45% of children aged between 4 and 36 months are eating ready-made baby and toddler foods for at least half or more of their meals and snacks. For 15% of these children, these foods make up most or all of their dietary intake. Given the high levels of consumption of these foods, consideration must be given to whether they reflect optimal nutrition in the early years of life.

Why are the names of the products important?

One in three ready-made baby and toddler foods has a name that does not accurately reflect ingredients. These product names often include fruits or vegetables, yet in many cases only contain flavouring or powder and no beneficial vegetable or fruit ingredients.   

With two in three parents reporting that the name of a product guides their choices, it is important that product names are accurate and do not mislead or confuse them about the actual health and nutritional benefits of the product.

What are the current regulations for ingredients for baby and toddler foods?

There are some limited regulations for babies, including limits on how much sodium and iron can be in foods for children under 12 months of age. But there are no limits on how much sugar can be added to foods for babies and no overarching requirement that these foods are good for babies’ health or in line with infant feeding guidelines.  

There are currently no specific regulations for foods for toddlers – no limits on how much sugar, salt or fat can be in foods sold specifically for toddlers and no overarching requirement that these foods are good for toddlers’ health.  

Do toddlers need special foods?  

No. There is no need for toddler specific foods. Toddlers can just eat regular family foods. Toddlers should eat a wide variety of nutritious foods from the main food groups: 

  • Plenty of vegetables   

  • Fruit   

  • Grains – preferably wholegrains   

  • Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes   

  • Dairy – milk, cheese, yoghurt and their alternatives   

Join us

Join a growing number of organisations and individuals signing up to support government action to set higher standards for baby and toddler foods in Australia.

Organisations

  • Cancer Council Victoria
  • Cancer Council Victoria
  • Stroke Foundation
  • Australian Dental Association
  • North Eastern Public Health Unit (NEPHU)
  • ACT Nutrition Support Service
  • Diabetes-WA
  • Consumers' Federation of Australia
  • Goodstart Early Learning Bendigo
  • FIRST GRAMMAR BENDIGO
  • Diabetes Australia
  • Australian Health Promotion Association
  • Nourish Network
  • Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth)
  • Parents’ Voice
  • National Heart Foundation of Australia
  • Global Obesity Centre, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University
  • Public Health Association of Australia
  • The Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, IPAN
  • George Institute for Global Health
  • World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative Australia
  • Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO)
  • Australian Breastfeeding Association
  • Koolkan Aurukun State School
  • The Root Cause
  • Dietitians Australia
  • Weight Issues Network Ltd
  • Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
  • Nutrition Australia Victoria
  • Healthy Food Systems Australia
  • Health Coalition Aotearoa
  • Food and Mood Centre Deakin University
  • That Sugar Movement
  • Healthy Kids Association

Individual supporters

  • Catharine Fleming
    Western Sydney University
    Lecturer in Public Health
  • Phillip Baker
    Deakin University
    ARC Future Fellow
  • Helena Teede
    Monash University
    Professor women’s health
  • Jennifer Peters
    That Sugar Movement
    Nutritionist
  • Alex Chung
    Monash University
    Research Fellow
  • Lucinda Bell
    Flinders University
    Research Fellow
  • Andrew Wilson
    The Weight Issues Network
    Engagement Lead and Board Member
  • Dana Young
    University of Melbourne
    Academic
  • Julie Woods
    Deakin University
    Senior Lecturer
  • David Pearson
    Gold Coast Health
    Staff Specialist ICU
  • Rosemary Stanton
    Iindependant public health nutritionist
  • Stephanie Kilpatrick
  • Angela Johnson
    Nutrition Consultant
  • Monique Boatwright
  • Naomi Hull
    RN, IBCLC, MPH (Nutrition)
  • Anna Zentgraf
    City of Whittlesea Maternal and Child health
    Maternal and Child Health Nurse
  • Amy Fiddes
  • Ashley Dawes
  • Julian Cleary
    Parent
  • Mel Scott
  • Andrew Wilson
    The Weight Issues Network
    Engagement Lead and Board Member
  • Tess Monda
    Mentone grammar school
    Head of Food Studies
  • Aimee Davenport
  • Jill Tenner
  • Jennifer Austin
    Grandparent
  • Maree Rice
  • CATHERINE O'DONAHUE
    Tagai State College
    Teacher
  • Sharon Bee
  • Sally Dunbar
    Clarence GP Superclinic
    GP
  • Chaitali Wa
  • Tony Mooney
    THHS
    Chair
  • Tara Mendis
  • Lauren Zammit
  • Angela Robinson
  • Shona Ryan
  • Robyn Gillespie
    University of Wollongong
    Associate Lecturer
  • V K
  • Madelaine Chedid
  • Melissa Anthony
  • Leonie Simmonds
  • Cathy Prior
  • Laura O’Dowd
  • Megan Campbell
  • Hannah Pierce
  • Hayley Ayerst
  • Natasha Williams
  • Sarah Wade
  • Jessica Morphett
  • Kaci Edwards
  • Danique Connell
  • aa qq
  • Elise James
  • Fiona McMullen
  • Rebecca Vrbanac
    mum
  • Barbara Baker
  • Abi Newton
  • Tegan Nuss
  • John Borojevic
  • Tana McMullen
  • Caoimhe Geraghty
  • Shana Anyon
  • Amy Harrison
  • Gabrielle Menolotto
  • Tiffany Moy
  • Sally Ford
  • Bree Harper
    Occupational Therapist
  • Kirsten Tannenbaum
    Australian Breastfeeding Association
    Breastfeeding Counsellor/Educator
  • Katy Avery
  • Laura Verma
  • Koshelyar Quill
    Parent
  • Tamika Hicks
  • Genevieve Dannock
    City of Greater Bendigo
    MCH Nurse
  • Jessica Ivory
  • Nicole Henderson
  • Abby Mosedale
  • Caitlin H
  • Fiona Smith
    Midwife/Mum
  • Purdy Loftus
  • Julia Sharp
    Child and family health nurse specialist and lactation consultant
  • Nikita Bhavsar
  • Michelle Galke
  • Robyn Hull
    Coonamble Community Health Coonamble MPS
    Child and Family health Nurse
  • Lauren Laing
    N/A
    Spiritual Care Coordinator
  • Margaret Maisey
  • Ella Westblade
    Bendigo Community Health Services
    Health Promotion Officer
  • Claire Crawley
  • Liz Tatt
  • Gina Urlich
    Norish
    Clinical Nutritionist
  • Melanie McHugh
    Harvest Launceston
    Board member
  • Laura Acklandiene
  • Kylie Boulter
  • Casee Lizza
  • Melanie Venz
  • Eliza Tucci
  • Liz Flamsteed
    Rural City of Wangaratta Maternal and Child Health
    Enhanced Maternal and Child Health Nurse
  • Theresa POWER
  • Moshe Nassi
  • Vesna Courtot
    Child Protection
    Principal Practitione HealthWatch
  • Danielle Vinton
  • Leng Te
  • Sara Dingle
  • Kate Eyre
  • Peter Johnson
  • Valerie Bush
  • Peter White
  • Nell Gray
  • robert earl
    CIVIL MECHANICAL
    CEO
  • Lyn Davies
  • Mimi Dia
  • Michelle Camilleri
    NBMLHD
    Senior Health Promotion Officer
  • Sarah Dwyer
    Sarah Dwyer Consulting
    Director
  • Cate Browne
  • Lauren Keane
  • Mikala Atkinson
    CCWA
  • Helen Starr
  • Claire Hardi
    Cancer Council Victoria
    Healthy Lifestyles Campaign Coordinator
  • Nikki Wight
  • Sallie Kendall
  • Tanya McKenna
  • Liesl Doehring
  • Lisa McWilliam
  • Bhavika Patel
    Cancer Council Victoria
  • Gail Boddy
    Deakin University
    PhD candidate
  • Victoria Marshall-Cerins
    Australian Breastfeeding Association
    Executive Officer
  • Melanie Walters
    SANTE MEDICAL
    Dietitian
  • Bindi Borg
    Department of Health Systems and Populations, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University
    Adjunct Fellow - Public Health Nutrition
  • Neale Blackwood
    A4 Accounting
    Owner
  • Shereen Abdelghani
    DrShereenLactEdu
    Egypt
  • Maureen Greet
  • Heather Lawson
    Grandparent
  • Manami Henderson
    Health Promotion Officer (Accredited Practicing Dietitian)
  • Manami Henderson
    Health Promotion Officer (Accredited Practicing Dietitian)
  • Gail Gillin
  • Helen Dooley
  • Michael Chandler
  • Therese de Young
  • Amanda Slattery
  • Kimberly Matthews
  • Penny McIntyre
  • Vinu shankar Ganesun
  • Malin Marquardt
  • Emily Brown
  • David Talbot
  • Luke Western
  • Jackie Ngui
  • Joanne Henry
  • Danielle McMillan
  • Zoe James
  • Sokka Ung
    Heal and Nourish
    Founder
  • Jennifer Golden
  • Nikki Adams
  • Nikki Adams
  • Maria Barikhnovskaya
  • Jess Leeson
  • Mariana Campos
    Research scientist
  • Belma Sal
  • Rita Yazdani
  • Vicki Robinson
  • Andrew Wilson
    The Weight Issues Network
    Engagement Lead and Board Member
  • Ian Richard Epondulan
    Oral Health Therapist/Public Health Worker
  • Stu Wells

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