Toddlers in the UK get nearly half their calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) including flavoured yoghurts and wholegrain breakfast cereals, according to a new study.
The figure rises even further to 59 per cent of total calories by the time children reach the age of seven, researchers from University College London (UCL) found.
Experts have warned that eating patterns in early years can start habits which continue into adulthood, adding that UPFs marketed for children often contain excessive amounts of salt and sugar.
And they said more needs to be done to reduce the amount of UPFs consumed by youngsters following their ‘concerning’ findings.
The team analysed data from 2,591 children born in the UK in 2007 and 2008 whose parents recorded what they ate and drank over three days.
Experts have warned that eating patterns in early years can start habits which continue into adulthood
The Nova system, developed by scientists in Brazil more than a decade ago, splits food into four groups based on the amount of processing it has gone through. Unprocessed foods include fruit, vegetables, nuts, eggs and meat. Processed culinary ingredients — which are usually not eaten alone — include oils, butter, sugar and salt
The most common UPFs consumed by the toddlers — who were 21 months old when their parents recorded their diets — were flavoured yoghurts and wholegrain breakfast cereals, products typically seen as healthy.
By the age of seven, the most common UPFs were sweet cereals, white bread and puddings.
Lead author Dr Rana Conway said: ‘Ultra-processed foods are not all bad for our health and the foods typically eaten by the toddlers in our study are ones that are seen as quite healthy.
‘However, some wholegrain cereals and flavoured yoghurts have high levels of added sugar and salt and our study found that toddlers who consumed more ultra-processed foods also had a higher intake of these ingredients.
‘This is concerning, especially as toddlers in general consume more added sugar and salt than is recommended.
Toddlers in the UK get nearly half their calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs). That includes flavoured yoghurts and wholegrain breakfast cereals
‘Aside from sugar and salt, a diet that includes a lot of ultra-processed food is less likely to get children used to the natural flavours of whole foods and therefore less likely to encourage healthy eating later in life.’
They also found that ultra-processed foods consumed at 21 months predicted UPF consumption at seven years old.
Toddlers who consumed the most UPFs were 9.4 times more likely to be in the highest UPF-consuming group at age seven compared to toddlers who consumed the lowest proportion of UPFs.
The research team said this may be partly attributable to the ‘hyperpalatable’ nature of these UPFs, as they tend to be foods higher in fat, sugar or salt.
Senior author Professor Clare Llewellyn said: ‘Eating patterns in the early years are important, as they help set habits that can persist through childhood and into adulthood.
‘This was reflected in our findings, with 21-month-olds who ate more ultra-processed foods also likely to be higher consumers of ultra-processed foods at the age of seven.’
UPFs, which can also include the likes of biscuits, sausages, crisps and industrially-made sliced bread, typically contain ingredients not used or very rarely used in home cooking such as colourings and sweeteners.
The findings, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, also revealed that all toddlers involved in the study consumed more free sugars than national guidelines recommend.
The researchers are now calling for policies to redress the balance of children’s diets towards a lower proportion of UPFs, such as restricting the promotion of unhealthy foods marketed towards children, adding warning labels to products and subsidising fresh and minimally processed food.
Dr Conway said: ‘It’s not easy to feed children healthily in our current food environment. Highly processed foods are often cheaper than the foods parents would like to give their children, such as fresh fruit and vegetables.
‘Also, despite labels suggesting they’re a healthy choice, ultra-processed foods marketed for children often contain too much sugar and salt. This makes it harder for parents to make healthy choices.’
