(CNN) — Four out of five foods sold for toddlers in the United States are ultraprocessed, according to research that analyzed more than 2,700 products on grocery store shelves. Nearly half of those items also failed to meet at least one nutritional benchmark for children set by the World Health Organization.
“We wanted to know what parents were seeing when they went to the grocery store,” said lead author Erin Hudson, a postdoctoral researcher at the department of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
“The answer is over 80% of the products are ultraprocessed,” Hudson said. “Many of them are high in sugar, high in sodium, but parents really cannot tell that from just walking down the aisle.”
Commercial foods marketed for children between 6 and 36 months should have no added sugar, artificial sweeteners or concentrated fruit juices, and limited saturated fats and sodium, according to the WHO Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model.
“We found toddler products which failed to meet WHO standards on sugar were four times as likely to be ultraprocessed,” said Hudson, who presented the preliminary research findings on Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.
“Almost a quarter of the foods were higher in sodium than is recommended, and some were high in fat and calorie dense,” she added. “These included organic foods.”
Fruit pouches and oat bars are examples of foods that were high in sugar; ready-to-eat mac and cheese bowls and turkey sausages were high in sodium and fat; and peanut butter puffs were high in sodium, fat and calories, the researchers found.
“The problem isn’t just what’s in these high-sugar, high-salt ultraprocessed foods, it’s what they crowd out,” said Jane Houlihan, research director for Healthy Babies Bright Futures, an alliance of nonprofits, scientists and donors with a mission of reducing babies’ exposures to neurotoxic chemicals. She was not involved in the study.
“A toddler who fills up on fruit snacks, sweetened yogurt, crackers and snack bars is likely to eat fewer whole grains, vegetables, beans and other healthier foods,” Houlihan said in an email.
Critically important stage of life
The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are vital for the growth and development of their brain and subsequent health, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. A healthy diet is a key part of that progress.
Early childhood is also the time when taste preferences are set for life, experts say. Eating too many overly sweet, highly processed foods in childhood may lead to choosing sugar and artificial flavors over natural, nutrient-dense foods in the years to come.
“Parents don’t have to be on the baby and toddler aisle at the store once their kid is able to chew,” said senior study author Marissa Burgermaster, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.
“Kids can eat whatever healthy foods and snacks the family is eating — just chop or mash it up,” Burgermaster said. “Industry has marketed these toddler foods to make parents believe these foods were created for the health of toddlers, and it’s just not true.”
The US Food and Drug Administration proposed a rule in 2025 for a mandatory, front-of-package labeling system for most packaged foods that would rate a food as “low,” “medium” or “high” in added sugars, sodium and saturated fat. At this time, however, foods marketed to children under 4 would be exempt from that requirement.
The Consumer Brands Association, which represents industry, told CNN in an email that “America’s trusted household brands offer parents and caregivers a wide variety of safe, affordable and convenient product choices to meet different dietary needs, preferences and family budgets.”
There is currently no universally accepted scientific definition of the term ‘ultraprocessed’ food, a spokesperson said. “Cherry-picking data to fit a narrative undermines the seriousness of the need for risk-based, peer-reviewed and rigorous scientific processes.”
High in additives
To do the research, Hudson and her team photographed foods marketed to children between 6 and 36 months at 21 grocery stores in Austin, Texas. First foods, such as infant formula, drinks and purees, were excluded from the study.
Researchers analyzed nutrition labels on 2,783 products for grams of sugar, salt, saturated and unsaturated fat, total calories and additives. They then compared foods to the NOVA classification system, which separates foods into four categories based on the level of processing.
Group one of the NOVA system covers unprocessed or minimally processed foods in their natural state, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, milk and eggs. Group two includes culinary ingredients such as salt, herbs and oils. Group three consists of processed foods that combine groups one and two — canned goods and frozen vegetables are examples.
Group four includes ultraprocessed foods, which typically contain artificial ingredients not found in whole foods. Additives include preservatives to resist mold and bacteria; emulsifiers to keep incompatible ingredients from separating; artificial colorings and dyes; fragrance and flavor enhancers; anti-foaming, bulking, bleaching, gelling and glazing agents; and added or altered sugar, salt and fats designed to make food more appealing.
Prior research published in January found over 70% of 651 baby and toddler foods contained additives that emerging research has linked to inflammation and disruptions in the gut microbiome.
“What shocked me was the top ingredient in 71% of these baby foods wasn’t a fruit or vegetable — it was one or more additives,” Elizabeth Dunford, an adjunct assistant professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told CNN previously.
“We know that babies’ guts are not fully developed enough to be able to handle additives in the way an adult stomach could,” said Dunford, lead author of the January baby food study. “There is no need for these additives; they are simply cosmetic, designed to make the food look more appealing.”
It’s up to parents
Until federal guidelines are developed, experts say the burden falls on parents to find the healthy choices among the lineup of less healthy products.
To do that, parents must read nutrition labels and ingredient lists, Houlihan said.
“You can’t assume foods marketed for toddlers are actually healthy,” she said. “A pouch labeled ‘100% fruit’ can deliver a big hit of sugar. A snack that’s ‘perfect for little fingers’ can be loaded with artificial ingredients, too much salt, or industrial fatty acids.”
Look for “added sugar” and “saturated” fats on the nutrition label and if you see those, “put the food back on the shelf,” Hudson said. “Look at the additives in the ingredients at the bottom — are there natural and artificial flavors? Are there emulsifiers like gums, xanthan gum, carrageenan? All of these are markers of ultraprocessed or unhealthy foods.”
Fruit juice concentrate is a red flag for hidden added sugars, she explained.
“Fruit juice concentrates are essentially only the sugar and flavor of fruit — everything else with nutritive value has been stripped away, almost like a simple syrup,” Hudson said. “Sometimes manufacturers put fruit juice concentrate in the food and do not add it to the added sugars on the nutrition label even though that’s what it is.”
As often as possible, parents should prepare healthy foods at home instead of using store-bought foods, Houlihan said. Try to limit fruit juice. Serve whole or diced fruit instead of pouches and purees.
Pair fruit and veggies with protein and healthy fats like yogurt or nut butter — when age-appropriate — for balanced snacks. Offer lots of different fruits, vegetables, beans, healthy meats and whole grains.
“Parents shouldn’t have to decode every package in the grocery store to find healthy food for toddlers,” Houlihan said. “But until stronger standards are in place, choosing and preparing simpler, less processed foods is one of the best ways to stack the odds in a toddler’s favor.”
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