How ultra-processed foods are dominating toddlers diets

Habits picked up in early childhood likely to be fuelling Britain’s obesity crisis, say researchers

Toddlers are getting almost half their calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), research has found.
The study of 2,500 children found that consumption of such foods – packed with salt and sugar – continued to rise as they got older.
The most common highly processed foods eaten by toddlers were flavoured yoghurts and wholegrain breakfast cereals.
Experts said habits born in the early years were likely to continue into adulthood, fuelling Britain’s obesity crisis.
Almost one in ten children are obese by the time they start primary school and almost one quarter have reached this point by the end of it.
Researchers from University College London found that toddlers in the UK obtained 47 per cent of their calories from UPFs.
This rose to 59 per cent by the age of seven.
Researchers said toddlers and young children were being lured by mass-produced fare which was far more tempting, and often cheaper than fruit and vegetables, without satisfying the appetite.
“It has been suggested that the hyper-palatable nature of some UPFs may partly drive continued consumption of these foods, which goes beyond habit formation,” the authors wrote.
Academics looked at data from children born in the UK in 2007 and 2008 whose parents recorded what their children ate and drank over three days.
UPFs have been linked to poor health, partly because they are calorie-dense and designed to be “hyper-palatable” – meaning that they can be consumed in high quantities – fuelling obesity, while low in nutrients, often containing high levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar.
They also contain additives and ingredients not often used when people cook from scratch, such as preservatives, emulsifiers and artificial colours and flavours.
Examples include ice cream, processed meats, crisps, mass-produced bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits and fizzy drinks.
Among seven-year-olds, the most common UPFs were sweet cereals, white bread and puddings, according to the study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition.
At both ages, UPF consumption was linked to consuming more sugar and salt, according to data taken from 2,591 toddlers taking part in the UK Gemini twin study.
The study tracked more than 500 of the children until the age of seven.
Intake of UPFs in toddlerhood was predictive of consumption levels at age seven – researchers found that 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.
Seven-year-olds who ate higher levels of UPFs were found to consume less fibre.
The researchers called for policies to “redress the balance of children’s diets toward a lower proportion of UPF, such as adding warning labels to products, inclusive school food policies and subsidies on fresh and minimally processed food”.
Dr Rana Conway, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care and the lead author, said parents were choosing foods that were “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.
“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.
“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.
Prof Clare Llewellyn, also of the UCL institute and a senior author, added: “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.”