Too much sugar in baby food: CLCV calls for better regulation

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: LAURENT LE CRAB / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 18:47 p.m., October 19, 2023

Foods for very young children that are often "too sweet" and that "contain flavourings and additives": the consumer protection association CLCV has studied 207 products intended for children under 3 years old and regrets on Thursday "a regulation that does not go far enough".

Consommation Logement Cadre de Vie (CLCV) carried out a survey of more than 200 products "in June and July 2023 in 9 supermarket chains", and notes in the report that "30% of the references contain sweetening ingredients", sugar, honey or chocolate for example.

"85% of the dairy products studied contain sweetening ingredients"

"This is all the more alarming as the proliferation of snacks and desserts in the infant food aisles normalizes the concept of snacking and the consumption of sweet desserts at the end of a meal," CLCV regrets. In detail, "85% of the dairy products studied contain sweetening ingredients", whether it is sugar, cane sugar, dextrose or caramel.

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In addition, "77% of sweet or savoury snacks contain various sweetening ingredients", she says, noting that "six references encountered do not contain sweetening ingredients: it is therefore possible!" For CLCV, "these findings show that European regulations are not strict enough for manufacturers and should be updated". It "must set maximum levels of sugars, fats and salt, based on the recommendations of the World Health Organisation", says the association, which also asks "manufacturers to improve the quality of the supply of infant food products".