It’s all in the label: What to look for when buying baby food

Let’s face it: while we would all love to be able to offer our babies only homemade, healthy foods, life can be busy and there are times that opting for premade convenience will save your sanity! Luckily, the days of bland rice cereal and single-food purées are long gone when it comes to commercial baby foods. Nowadays, you can find a host of baby food options at any grocery store in South Africa. But with so many choices available, how can you be sure you’re making the best one for your family? Hint: it’s all in the label! So, the team from Weaning Sense – occupational therapist Meg Faure and paediatric dietitian Kath Megaw – have broken down how to decode a baby food label.

Weaning Sense points out that there are two sections you want to pay attention to on commercial baby food labels: 1) the ingredients list and 2) the nutrition panel.

The ingredients list

The ingredients list identifies all the ingredients found in the product, listed in order of amount. That is, the ingredients that appear first on the list are more prevalent in the product. So, if you’re buying a pouch of puréed butternut, “butternut” should be the first item listed. The percentage of the main ingredient should also be indicated. Generally, you want to avoid any food that contains added salt and sugar but be especially wary of products that list salt and sugar as one of the first ingredients on the list as it means the product is particularly high in salt/sugar.

The nutritional panel

The nutritional information on a label is given both per 100g and per serving size. This also indicates the serving size of a particular product, so check that before handing the entire bag to your child. In order for a manufacturer to claim that a product is particularly high in a specific nutrient, such as fibre, or particularly low in a nutrient, such as cholesterol, they actually have to comply with certain legal requirements. This means that the percentage of that nutrient needs to be indicated on the label.

ALSO READ: What essential nutrients does my baby need?

What to avoid when buying baby food

There are certain additives you want to avoid when buying commercial baby food. These include:

• MSG
• Sodium benzoates
• Cyclamates
• Azo dyes
• Tartrazine
• Sulphur dioxide
• Added sugars
• Salt
• Modified starch

Basically, even when buying baby food, try to keep it as simple and natural as possible. If you can’t pronounce the ingredient, you shouldn’t be giving it to your baby. An easy way to minimise the risk of baby foods containing added sugar, salt and bad fats is to choose single-ingredient jars instead of combined “dinner-type” products.

For more around what to feed your baby, buy Weaning Sense or click here to listen to the Sense podcast.

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