3 min readFeb 16, 2026 01:59 PM IST
Many packaged baby foods marketed as “healthy” may contain hidden sugars and ultra-processed ingredients that can shape a child’s taste preferences and long-term health. Brightly packaged baby cereals, fruit pouches, snack puffs and flavoured yoghurts use “natural”, “organic” and “doctor recommended” labels to advertise their nutritional value and reassure parents. Fact is packaged baby food today contains artificial additives and highly processed components.
What makes baby food ultra-processed?
The majority of packaged baby foods contain unhealthy components because they undergo multiple processing steps and include ingredients which people normally do not prepare at home. Baby food products contain refined flour, fruit concentrates, added sugars, flavour enhancers, stabilisers and preservatives. Flavoured cereals contain maltodextrin and added sugars. Fruit purees use concentrates as their main ingredient instead of whole fruit. Ready-to-eat snack puffs use refined starches as their main ingredient.
What are additives that parents should know about?
Products which carry the label “no added sugar” still contain sweetness because manufacturers use both fruit juice concentrates and corn syrup solids as well as glucose-based ingredients as sweetening components. Early exposure to sugary flavours can shape taste preferences which lead to increased sweet food consumption as children grow into adulthood.
The term “natural flavour” refers to a flavouring which has undergone natural production methods but allows for laboratory-created substances to be used as its ingredients. The combination of stabilisers and gums creates a permanent product texture which helps maintain product quality during storage, yet offers no dietary value to consumers.
How to read labels smartly
Parents can make informed decisions with a few practical checks. The ingredient list shows all components which follow the order of their quantity. The product contains high levels of processing when sugar and syrups together with fruit concentrate and refined flour appear at the start of the ingredient list.
The hidden sugars require monitoring. Added sweetness results from using terms such as dextrose, glucose syrup, malt extract and corn solids. Products with fewer ingredients are generally less processed.
Toddler snacks require caution. The biscuits, puffs and sweetened yoghurts which companies sell to children actually have the same nutritional value that resembles junk food.
Why early nutrition matters
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Infancy is not just the time for both physical development and brain maturation; it also establishes a child’s food habits. Babies require nutrient-dense foods that contain vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and proteins because they need more than just caloric intake. Fresh foods contain higher amounts of essential nutrients than any product. Remember, baby foods are part of a system that starts to eliminate whole food choices through its gradual process. Nutrition is a key pillar of foundational health and lays the template for how our health is going to be in our adult years.
Is home-made food better?
Home-prepared meals enable complete management of all components used in cooking. The combinations of mashed fruits and steamed vegetables, dal, khichdi, curd and soft-cooked grains deliver essential nutrition and contain no artificial ingredients.
The best choice for packaged food is to select products that contain only one ingredient and undergo minimal processing, such as plain vegetable purees and unsweetened cereals, which contain no added flavours.
The simplest ingredient list remains the safest selection.
(Kathuria is a clinical dietician)
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